The Natural Path
by WolfgirlBlack23
Summary: "I was the natural path your life would have taken If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic." Jacob Black, Eclipse, Chapter 26. Full summery inside
1. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

**A/N: Welcome to my very first Twilight fic! While I'm not a stranger to fanfics, usually I stick to SW but once this idea got started I decided to brave the crowds and take a chance with it. It's also a bit of a challenge for myself, every chapter is based on a song which will be the title. I highly recommend listening to the songs before reading the chapter or at least looking up the lyrics, they really set the mood for it.**

**Also we can say farewell to weak, spineless Bella, in my story she actually gets a backbone. This universe is slightly AU, for my own mind's sake I decided to bump Jake and Seth's ages up a year but everything else is canon. I'll be using bits from both the book and movie in the first chapter, but after that I go off on my own little trip. This is a strict Jacob/Bella story, if you are an Edward fan I'll warn you now that this is not for you. Other pairings will pop up including Sam/Emily, Jared/Kim, Paul/Rachel, Seth/OC, Leah/OC, Embry/Angela, Bree/OC. There will be lemons in this but not until later chapters, do bear with me. Also, I suck at summaries and I can't say too much more without giving the plot away.**

**I of course do not own the Twilight universe or characters, just my lovely OCs, I'm just having some fun with them. Any songs used of course belong to the singer/song writers, I just use them to inspire my muse.**

**Summery: _I was the natural path your life would have taken… If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic…_**  
**_Jacob Black, Eclipse, Chapter 26, p.599._ Jacob Black was right, he was the natural path Bella's life would have taken, but what he didn't know, what no one knew, was that he was her natural path in the world of monsters and magic...**

The Natural Path

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

On the mountain, the night before the newborn attack...

Bella tugged the sleeping bag tighter around her, trying to ignore her shivering and chattering teeth. Edward sat across the tent, as far away as he could, a look of agony on his face. "I'm so sorry Bella. What can I do?"

She tried to force a smile though her shaking and failed. She knew he felt awful and only wanted to help but they both knew there was nothing he could do, no matter how many times he asked. "N-nothing E-Edward."

His face crumpled more and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to think of somewhere warm to distract herself. Unfortunately the only warm place that popped into her head was Jacob's arms around her, cradling her against his chest as he'd carried her up the mountain. Her mind wandered to their talk and she felt a small surge of pride again as she recalled him telling her he was the true Alpha of his pack. She was considering making 'Chief' his permanent nickname from now on. A faint smile crossed her face at that thought and then Edward's voice distracted her. "What are you thinking love?"

She sighed, feeling her shivering increase and shook her head slightly. "N-n-nothing."

Before he could say anything she heard the zipper lower and then Jacob stepped inside. "Can't sleep with all that teeth chattering." He stared at her and she saw Edward tense.

"Don't even think about it dog."

She barely heard them, distracted by the drops of melted snow trailing down Jacob's chest, his abdominals, and the deep V line at his waist... She jerked herself out of those thoughts with a blush as she saw Edward's hand grasp Jacob's upper arm forcefully and Jacob growl out a warning.

"D-don't f-fight." Jacob turned to her, sorrow in his gaze at seeing her shaking form and he brushed off Edward's hand.

"She might need her toes someday and let's face it, I'm hotter than you."

Bella couldn't hold back the snort of laughter at his doubled meaning and Jake flashed her his signature grin. She saw the brief moment of hurt cross Edward's face before he pulled back to the corner and broodingly said "Fine."

She was torn between feeling bad that she'd hurt him and annoyance that he thought she needed his permission to have Jake help warm her. Jacob's face was smug as he lowered himself behind her and tugged the sleeping bag over both of them. She immediately felt several degrees warmer and turned to her other side to dive into his chest.

"Jeez Bells, you're freezing." She heard the good natured humor mixed with worry in his tone and sighed as she felt both of his arms wrap around her, tucking her head under his chin.

"It's ok Bells, you'll get warm soon." She knew he was right, she already could feel the shaking lessen and she relaxed into him slightly. "Course you'd get warmer faster if you'd take your clothes off."

She stiffened at the same time she heard Edward hiss behind her and she smacked his chest lightly with her uninjured hand. "Jake, knock it off."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Survival 101 Bells."

Sighing she forced herself to relax, marveling at his heat as the tremors slow to a stop and she blinked drowsily. Jake felt her relax more and pressed his cheek into the top of her head, humming quietly. "Get some sleep Bells. I'm not going anywhere."

She knew he meant more than just staying with her in the sleeping bag. Behind her she was certain she heard Edward snap something, maybe a spare tent peg but couldn't bring herself to chide either of them and let herself doze off to Jacob's humming lullaby.

Bella tried to ignore both men as she felt their gazes burning into her while she supposedly slept, fighting to keep her breathing even so they wouldn't know she could hear them.

"Can't you at least try to keep your thoughts to yourself?" Edward's hiss was deadly and she felt Jake's chest rumble with a dark chuckle.

"Why don't you try to stay out of my head?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and hit him in the arm for goading Edward on, preferring to keep her hand tucked into Jacob's warm body and continue to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Maybe if you weren't shouting your little fantasies at the top of your lungs it would be easier." At her fiancés' words she felt a blush rise. Jacob was fantasizing about her? She supposed she should feel uncomfortable that he was doing it while laying tucked tightly in her sleeping bag with her fiancé a few feet away but instead she felt her blush deepen and a sense of…awe? Yes Jacob had admitted his love for her, tried to convince her that she was in love with him and simply didn't know it yet, he had even kissed her. Her lips tingled slightly and her wrist throbbed as she remembered their disaster of a first kiss.

She had been angry to say the least, then more so at herself when she made the stupid mistake of punching a full grown werewolf. But later, after she lay in bed replaying the memory she had realized that some small part of her actually enjoyed being kissed by Jake. His lips were warm, soft and hard all at once, nothing like Edward's cold, unyielding ones that offered her only chaste unfulfilling kisses. He always pulled away if she tried to push him for more while Jacob had kissed her with all the passion and love he had, pouring out his very soul to her to convince her to love him instead.

"I really get under that ice cold skin of yours huh? What, doubting her feelings for you?" Jacob's voice was part smug and part curious. Edward didn't answer and she felt Jake let out an annoyed growl. "So you can pick through my head but I'm not allowed into yours?"

She heard Edward sigh unnecessarily and shift in his seat. "Fine mutt, talk."

She felt Jake turn his head to look down at her and quietly say "I know she's in love with you. But she's in love with me too. She just won't admit it."

She heard nothing from Edward for a long moment and then he conceded "I know. But she chose me."

Jacob shifted slightly, making sure to cradle her head on his arm and she heard him sigh. "She could still choose me."

She felt her heart break slightly as she heard the pain and hope in his voice and she almost reached up to touch his face. "She won't."

She heard the steely conviction in Edward's voice and Jacob tensed slightly. "If she did, would you let her go?"

She let out an internal sigh, wishing she could make Jake understand that she could never leave Edward, not after Italy and nearly losing him for good. "Well killing you is an intriguing idea..."

She barely suppressed a shudder; although Edward's tone is light she can hear the deadly undertone it carries. Then he sighed. "I could never hurt her like that. I want her to be happy, and if she chose you I would walk away."

She forgot how to breathe, frozen in shock, hurt, and horror. He would let her go so easily if she chose Jacob? He wouldn't even try to stop her, fight for her in the slightest? After everything they've been through to be together? She wanted to turn around and scream at him, that he should fight for her, that if he really cared about her then he would do everything he could to get her back like...like Jake...Jacob who has fought for her from the beginning, who helped her heal after Edward left, her best friend, her warmth, her sun.

She gave herself an internal shake. _'He knows it will never happen, that's why he said it, you love him, and you're in love with him. You agreed to marry him._'

She barely heard their next few words, something about Edward just wanting her to have a normal human life, Jacob saying he might be better for her and that he could make her happy. Could she be happy with Jake? She had no doubt that she would but Edward was her reason for existing, she was his singer and she was giving up everything to be with him. _'You wouldn't have to give up anything for Jake.'_

She slammed the lid on that thought, she loved Edward, she was in love with Edward! _'She's in love with me too...'_

Jacob's words whispered through her mind and she tried to shove them aside, focusing on one thought. _'I agreed to marry him. I'm going to marry Edward and turn and never have to worry about __someone protecting me or being put in danger for me again.'_

She heard Edward move and the zipper lower. "I'm going to check outside. Don't try anything mutt."

The zipper closed, leaving them alone in the tent. She felt Jake move to lie down, pulling her close as he gently settled her head on his arm. She sensed the slight warmth of his breath on her face, could hear the low rumble of contentment in his chest and almost envision the look of peace she knew was on his face. She knew her own mirrored his; he always had a way of calming her down with a simple touch, something she's never had with Edward. Without thinking about it she sighed and moved closer to him, then froze when she felt something press against her leg. A very large, very hard something.

She heard the hitch in his breath and his arms tightened around her. Very slowly, trying to keep her breathing even, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her, eyes darkened slightly and his lips turned up in the same knowing smirk he'd given her while climbing the mountain. She felt the blush rise on her face and closed her eyes quickly, chanting frantically in her head _'Edward Edward Edward, you're in love with Edward.'_

She didn't feel Jake move but suddenly his hot breath and soft lips were against the shell of her ear. "Just have to ask Bells."

She swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut, rolling to her other side so she could no longer feel Jake's lips close to her. Jake chuckled and lay back down, his arm still tight around her.

It was going to be a very long night...

_Bella awoke not on the hard ground of the tent but a soft mattress, the room dark. She stretched, looking around and saw that she is not in her room but Jake's. She looked down to notice not her own pajamas but one of Jacob's old shirts, although on her it was more like a nightgown, hanging halfway down her thighs. She slowly climbed out of the bed, wondering where Jake was and raised the collar of the shirt to inhale his scent of rain, pine and a muskiness that was pure Jacob. She wandered out into the hallway and followed it to the darkened living room._

_Lightning flashed outside the windows from the distant storm, giving her enough light to find the bookshelf against the far wall. She traced her fingers over the bindings of the books until they felt a well-worn, leather novel. She pulled it from the shelf and curled up on the floor by the window, using the flashes of light to see as she slowly flipped the cover to reveal a photo album. The first picture was of her and Jacob as children, playing outside while making mud pies. Even then she could see the love in his eyes as he stared at her with adoration._

_Flipping the page showed them a little older, sitting on their driftwood log, heads close together as they talked quietly, the sun going down in front of them. More childhood pictures followed, then she reached their teenage years, when she had moved home. Her and Jake in the garage while he worked on the bikes, at a bonfire with his friends, walking on the beach. As she went on she started to see him fill out and grow taller as his body prepared for the shift, the baby fat in his face giving way to his chiseled jaw and prominent cheekbones, full lips and eyes that hardened somewhat as if something in him knew he was going to give up his childhood and become a man, a protector, overnight._

_The next few pages showed them together after he had phased, his hair chopped short and the tattoo showing on his shoulder. She could see that his eyes, while still hardened with responsibility, softened slightly, especially after she had figured out his secret. He still stared at her with his eyes full of warmth and love, whether they were at a bonfire with the Pack or alone while he worked on the Rabbit. She could see her own eyes starting to return the look as Jake slowly healed her._

_Then the pictures changed, showing just Jacob alone, in the garage, on their log, at a bonfire with the Pack. She frowned, wondering where she was and saw that Jake's eyes had again grown hard and cold. He looked sad, angry and frustrated, and then she saw a picture of them riding on his bike when he had shown up at Forks High and helped her escape Edward's babysitting plan. They both looked happy, though his eyes still were sad, and she felt her heart break for hurting him._

_Another picture showed him in his wolf form, curled around her while they had watched Jasper train the others to fight the newborns. He was massive, making her almost disappear into his fur and she remembered how his silky strands had felt under her fingers, the low rumble in his chest when she scratched behind his ears. Then she saw a picture of them kissing, followed by her punching his face angrily._

_She let out a soft chuckle, only she would think to punch a full grown werewolf. She might as well have punched a vampire. Other pictures showed him carrying her up the mountain, the look of hurt when she had run into Edward's arms at the top, then him cradling her against him in the sleeping bag to warm her, a look of peace and contentment on his face as he pressed his cheek against the top of her head._

_She was surprised when the next few pages were blank and she wondered if she had reached the end of the album, until a lone picture fell from the pages. She picked it up, squinting in the dark and smiled. The picture showed Jake standing on the beach, dressed in dark jeans and an un-tucked white dress shirt, barefoot, a huge smile on his face while she stood opposite dressed in a simple white gown, her hair falling in long curls down her back, holding a bouquet of wildflowers._

_She dropped the picture in surprise when she felt a warm arm circle her waist and then draw her to her feet. __"__Jake...__"_

_Her only answer was a pair of warm lips pressed to the back of her neck and she hummed slightly as his other hand came around to rest on her swollen stomach. She sighed, looking down again at the wedding picture then frowned when she saw a single drop of blood fall from Jacob's hand to cover his face. More drops fell, obscuring the picture and suddenly the warm soft body pressed against her became ice cold stone, the lips on her neck pulling back as sharp teeth sank into her flesh with a whispered word._

"_Mi__ne."_

_She watched in horror as her own blood flowed down over her stomach which suddenly flattened and her skin grew hard and cold, agonizing pain rolling over her body as the mouth pulled away from her neck. "Mine!"_

Bella's eyes flew open with a soft gasp as she reached a hand up to her neck, wondering why she was laying on something soft and warm rather than the cold, hard ground. She raised her head to find herself staring at Jacob's sleeping face and realized that she was lying on top of him. She could feel his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly against his body, while his other arm was tucked under his head. She knew she wouldn't be able to get off without waking him up and she wanted him to have as much rest as he could for the fight.

Slowly she lowered her head till her chin rested against his hot chest and studied his face. Now, while he slept, his face was that of a 16 year old boy, smooth and peaceful, more than she had seen for a long time. His long, dark eyelashes brushed his cheekbones and his full lips were parted slightly as he breathed evenly. Although she would never admit it to Jake, she knew it would boost his ego through the roof, she had checked out her best friend more than once. He was handsome, all the wolves were with their above average height, muscular build, russet skin, dark hair and piercing eyes.

But to her Jake was the most attractive of the group, his boyish personality and soft heart pulled her in just as much as his looks. Not that his body was anything to sniff at, his rock hard abs that she could feel pressing against her stomach put most bodybuilders to shame.

She knew he was the tallest of the wolves, except for Sam as the Alpha, but he was also the most muscular. Her mind flashed back to the previous night when Jake had come in the tent, melting snow creating long water trails down his chest and she blushed slightly. With her right hand, which had been resting on Jacob's chest, she traced the area over his heart, feeling its steady beat against her palm. She had a strong urge to reach her hand up and brush back the piece of dark hair that hung lazily over one eye but she was stopped by a low hiss from the corner.

Turning her head she swallowed hard and dropped her gaze as a blush rose on her face. "Edward."

Her fiancé was crouched in the corner of the tent; every muscle tense as he glared at Jacob's sleeping form. Bella snatched her hand off Jake's chest, feeling her face grow hot with embarrassment and tried to wiggle out of Jacob's arm. Unfortunately it only made him pull her closer and roll to his side, his back to Edward. This also brought her leg into contact with the same large hardness that she felt the night before, pressing against her through his jeans and she tried to ignore it as she shook his shoulder. "Jake, wake up."

He mumbled under his breath and she was dismayed when the arm around her back loosened as his hand moved to grip her hip, pulling her even closer so their hips were aligned. She let out a soft gasp as Jacob's prominent erection rubbed against her, feeling arousal shoot through her and she pushed against his chest to try and get some space between them. "Jacob, wake up!"

He grunted softly and kneaded her hip in his hand as he stretched, unwittingly rubbing his hips against hers, causing her to choke back a soft moan. "Bells?"

He blinked his eyes several times as he raised one hand to rub them, running his fingers through his short hair as he looked down at her. She met his eyes with panicked ones and he suddenly realized their position when she tried to squirm away, causing him to groan faintly as she rubbed against him. "Bella, what are you doing? How did-"

He's interrupted by a snarl behind them and she heard Edward hiss "Let go of her mutt."

Jake glanced over his shoulder in slight confusion then turned back to her with a smirk as he gripped her hip faintly before letting go. "Jeez Bells, all you had to do was ask. Didn't have to try and jump me in my sleep."

She blushed in embarrassment and anger and finally managed to roll away from him, tumbling out of the sleeping bag. Edward was instantly next to her, helping her up. Jake let out a chuckle and rose smoothly to his feet, winking at her as he stepped toward the entrance to the tent. "I'm going to check the woods before Seth gets here, be back soon Bells."

She couldn't meet his eyes, her blush deepening when she saw the significant bulge in his jeans and dropped her gaze to the floor, mortified. He was gone without a sound and suddenly she felt Edward's cold hands on her arms, shaking. She turned to him and swallowed hard when she saw his eyes, black with rage, staring after Jacob. She reached up to touch his face and his gaze snapped down to hers, slowly softening as she gave him a weak smile. "Edward, I-"

He raised a finger to her lips and shook his head, gently pulling her towards the door of the tent. "It wasn't your fault love. Let's go outside, the tent reeks of wet dog."

She knew she must smell the same and followed willingly, blinking as she stepped into the blinding sunlight. A few inches of snow that hadn't blown away in the storm blanketed the trees and ground, and she shivered slightly as she wrapped her arms around herself, glad for the cool air on her heated cheeks. She looked around to see if Jacob was back yet but saw only a tan gangly wolf trot up from the tree-line. It walked closer and lowered its head slightly as it blinked at her and she smiled in recognition. "Hey Seth."

Edward nodded his head and Seth loped up the hill, she guessed to help Jake check the woods. She turned to Edward and saw he still looked angry. "Edward I'm so sorry. That couldn't have been easy on you last night."

He grimaced slightly and gave her a wry look. "It definitely won't make my list of top ten favorite evenings."

She raised an eyebrow and he smiled. "All ten I spent with you. And the top one is when you agreed to marry me, Mrs. Cullen."

She felt the painful thud in her chest and blinked as she remembered her nightmare, the picture of her and Jacob's wedding, her swollen stomach and the blood. She doesn't understand the overwhelming panic that rises up in her throat and she hesitated. "Edward-"

Before she could say anything else she heard the snap of a branch behind her and then an angry voice. "You're marrying him?"

She whirled around to see Jacob standing a few yards away, staring at her with hurt and anger. She stepped toward him as a sinking feeling hit her stomach. "Jake..."

She turned back to Edward as the revelation dawned on her and stared at him in shock. "You knew he was listening!"

He had a slightly smug look in his eyes that didn't quite disappear as he tried to look ashamed. "He needed to know."

She heard Jacob start to storm off and turned to follow him, stopped by Edward's hand on her elbow. "Bella, let him-"

"No Edward! Don't!" She yanked her arm away with a glare and was momentarily surprised at her strength before she ran after Jacob. "Jake, wait!"

He ignored her, moving quickly to the path that would take him down the mountain and she stumbled as her heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Jake, please! Wait!"

He stopped at the edge of the cliff, his back to her and she could see him shaking as he fought the urge to phase, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. She got as close to him as she could without falling off the cliff and stared at his back as she tried to think what to say. "Jake..."

He whirled on her, his face angry and eyes glittering dangerously. "I'm done Bella, I'm so done."

She felt her breath catch as panic squeezed her throat shut, heart thudding against her ribs. "Jacob...what...what can I do?"

He chuckled darkly, shaking his head angrily as he dragged his hand through his hair. "I think you've done enough Bella. There's nothing you can do. But I can, by killing something."

She felt her heart jump into her throat and she stared at him in a panic. His lips twisted into a bitter smile and he looked back over the cliff. "Maybe I'll get myself killed down there, make it easy for you."

"Jake no! Please, stay." She wanted to reach for him, keep him safe up here with her but she knew he wouldn't. He turned to her with an angry look and scanned her face.

"Why Bella? Give me one good reason to stay."

She knew what he was asking and looked away as she desperately tried to think of something. "I can't lose you."

A humorless bark of laughter made its way out of his mouth and he shook his head. "Not good enough Bells."

She swallowed hard and stared at the ground between them. "You...you're too important."

"Still not good enough." He started down the path and she knew that if she didn't stop him she would never see him again, one way or the other.

"Jacob!" He stopped, waiting, and she clenched her fists as she took a deep breath.

"Kiss me."

Slowly, he turned around, staring at her and she licked her lips. "I'm...I'm asking you...to kiss me."

He searched her face for a long moment, and she was afraid he would walk away. Suddenly with a few long strides he was in front of her and she blinked up at him nervously. Eyes never leaving hers he placed one hand on her hip and the other cradled her face as he lowered his lips to hers.

He kissed her slowly at first, as though afraid she would pull away again but she found herself pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Unlike their first kiss, this time she allowed herself to kiss him back, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck as her eyes closed. His hand tightened in her hair and she felt her back arch as his other hand gripped her hip tightly.

As his lips caressed hers she suddenly saw a vision rise behind her eyelids; walking down an aisle on the beach, not to Edward but Jacob. Then a small cabin in the woods behind Billy's house, them sitting on the large back deck with the Pack for a barbeque. Finally the last picture rose in her mind, of two little children with lighter russet skin, black hair and brown eyes, laughing as they ran around the cabin's yard.

She gasped into Jacob's mouth, slamming back to earth as his tongue caressed her lips gently and he slowly pulled back. She clung to his shoulders, dizzy and breathless and felt his hands cradle her face tenderly, his lips brushing hers once, twice, before he wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head next to hers. His breathing was ragged and she could feel his heart beating as fast as her own as he whispered "That should have been our first kiss."

She said nothing, still too stunned by what she saw and the sudden rush of warmth that rolled over her in waves. He sucked in a deep breath, shuddering slightly and he sighed. "I gotta go. But I'll be back."

He turned away from her, not looking her in the eyes and took off down the path, leaving her standing on the cliff. A dizzying array of emotions swept over her as she stood unseeing, too lost in her thoughts to do anything but take slow breaths. She felt dampness on her face and reached up to find tears on her cheeks. It surprised her until she realized they aren't tears of sadness, but happiness. At that moment, on top of the mountain, she came to the realization that she loves Jacob Black, she is in love with him, and she wanted the future that she saw for them more than anything she has ever wanted.

Something nagged at the back of her mind that something is in the way of her getting that future and she was unsure in her daze until she heard a branch snap behind her and turned to see Edward standing there, a look of trepidation on his face. "Edward..."

'_Oh no...'_

**_A/N: Well, what'd you think? I know a lot was from the books/movie, but I wanted to use it as a way to change her thinking about Jake. And the kiss on the mountain is one of my favorite scenes ever. *sigh* Anyways, please review and let me know your thoughts. :)_**


	2. Words I Couldn't Say

**A/N: And she's back! I want to apologize for the long wait here, I moved into an apartment so between that and my full time job it's been hard to get this chapter finished, not to mention having no internet. Hopefully I'll have less trouble on the next one. I do want to thank you for all the wonderful reviews, please keep telling me what you think, it inspires my muse. Again, reading/listening to the title song helps set the mood for the chapter, so here is a link: watch?v=4onCcmMux_A**

**I of course do not own Twilight nor the songs that inspire my muse.**

Words I Couldn't Say

Bella watched as Edward tore Victoria's head from her body with a horrible screeching noise, hardly paying attention to the blood dripping down her arm. The female vampire dropped to the snowy ground, lifeless, and she watched Seth drag Riley's dismembered body to pile on top before Edward tossed a lighter, setting the bodies ablaze. She pressed herself against the rock wall, shaking as the dark smoke curled into the sky, her gaze locked on Edward's back. She was stunned as she realized that she felt relief that Victoria was no longer a threat, but she was still terrified. It took her a long minute to realize that she was afraid of Edward.

She knew vampires were vicious when they fought, she'd seen them training for the newborns, but the look on Edward's face as he battled the female vampire shocked and terrified her. She was jerked out of her thoughts as a wet nose bumped her arm with a soft whine and she blinked to see Seth standing next to her with a worried look on his face. She followed his gaze to her injured arm, blood still trailing down the skin to her hand and slowly dripping off her fingers, staining the snow below a deep crimson.

Her mind flashed back to her dream from the night before and she shuddered as she felt the phantom pain of teeth sinking into her neck. Hearing her, Edward turned around and she felt a shiver go down her spine when she saw his eyes were still black. His gaze locked on the blood on her arm and she shrank back as he took a step toward her. In an instant her sight was blocked by a warm furry wall of sandy fur and she heard Seth give a low warning growl. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and sagged into his side, his warmth almost as comforting as Jacob's.

Seth whined, turning his head to look at her and she heard a velvet voice from the other side of the wolf. "Bella love, it's fine to come out now."

She took a deep breath, fingering the wooden wolf charm that hung from her wrist and gently pushed against Seth with her good hand. He rumbled low in his chest, unhappy, but moved aside so she could see Edward. She watched his eyes slowly return to their honey amber color, his gaze still locked on the cut on her arm. She raised a hand to cover it and Edward's eyes rose to meet hers. "You shouldn't have done that love, I could have handled Victoria."

She offered a weak smile and watched as he came closer, ripping the hem of his shirt into a long strip. Slowly he began to wrap the fabric around her arm, his gaze on the stained snow below them and she gave a one shouldered shrug. "It worked to distract her, that's all that matters Edward."

He frowned, finally looking at her as he tied a neat bow and grasped her hand, raising it to his lips. "You shouldn't have had to injure yourself love."

He raised her hand to his face and pressed a kiss to the back of it and she was surprised when she flinched away and gasped, his usual marble skin felt even colder, almost painful for some reason. A wounded look crossed his face and he released her as Seth came up beside her, rumbling low in his chest. Edward looked at him and nodded slightly. "The newborns are all dead, everyone is safe."

She let out a sigh of relief, her mind flashing to the one person she didn't want to see hurt, and she absentmindedly ran a hand through Seth's fur. He let out a faint rumble of happiness and then cut it off with a loud whine. Edward stiffened slightly and her eyes darted between the two as Seth pawed the earth agitatedly and she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"There's one newborn left, Leah is going after him." Seth let out a whine at Edward's words, shaking slightly, and Edward gave a grim smile. "She's trying to pin him...he's strong, flipping her over, he's got his arms around her...he's going to crush her to death."

Bella raised a hand to her mouth in alarm and Seth whimpered in a panic. "No wait, Jacob's there...he pulled the newborn off of her...now he's fighting it."

A heavy feeling of dread settled in her stomach and then Seth let out an earsplitting howl of pain, dropping to his belly so that she ended up half draped on his back, her fist curled into his fur tightly as she stared at Edward in a panic. He grimaced, not meeting her eyes as he said quietly, "The newborn got his arms around Jacob...he crushed all of the bones on the right side of his body before Embry pulled it off of him."

She felt her breath leaving her in short gasps of pain, matching Seth's whimpered cries below her and she let out a half choked sob. "I have to get to him."

Edward's eyes were blank as he stared at her and she turned to look at Seth, his pitiful expression making her heart constrict in her chest. "Seth...can you...can Jacob hear me?"

He whined softly and she stared into his eyes, tears falling from her face onto Seth's muzzle. "Jake, I'm coming, please just hold on."

He moved his muzzle up to her face, whining miserably and then gave a faint shudder, slowly swaying up to his feet. "Jacob phased out, so did the rest of the pack to help him."

She let her death grip on his fur loosen so she could stand, still leaning on him. "Seth can...can you carry me down the mountain on your back?"

He blinked in surprise and she heard Edward's intake of breath behind her. "Bella love, that's too dangerous."

She ignored his protest and stared at Seth who lowered his head slightly for a long moment and then folded his legs under so he was crouched low to the ground. She took a deep breath and carefully swung her leg over his back, settling right behind his shoulders and gripping the fur there tightly. "Let's go Seth."

"Bella, love, this is foolish. You'll get hurt." She ignored Edward's protest as Seth carefully rose to his feet, the height making her dizzy for a moment. She risked a glance down at her fiancé's face and bit her lip as she saw the worry and disapproval clear in his eyes. Taking a deep breath she gave him a pleading look.

"I have to see him. Seth will make sure I'm safe." Beneath her Seth grunted an affirmative, and she offered a small smile. "I'll see you soon."

His eyes darkened to an unreadable expression and he reached into his pocket, pulling the ring out of it. Her breath caught in a panic and she could only stare at him as he gently took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. "You're free to wear this now."

She swallowed and barely kept from flinching as he raised her hand to his lips, the icy pain shooting through her. Slowly she pulled her hand away and she gave him a faint smile as Seth took a step forward, her hands grasping the fur tightly.

"I'll see you at the bottom love." She nodded; turning to bury her face in Seth's fur as he carefully picked his way across the snow to the trail, his long legs quickly eating up the distance. He paused at the top and turned his head to look at her, checking she was secure. She nodded and he took off at a gentle lope down the mountain, not nearly as fast as he could have run of course but she knew he wanted to be careful with her. She laid her head against his back and closed her eyes, trying to sort through the tangled thoughts in her brain.

Edward's ring made her hand feel five pounds heavier; she was surprised to feel the spike of anger that he had placed it on her finger. She had a feeling he had only done it because she was going to see Jake. She felt a strong wave of annoyance that he felt as though he had to claim her, as though he didn't trust her love for him. _"Doesn't he have a reason to doubt?"_

She scowled at the little voice in her mind and tried to shove it to the side but it turned her mind to remembering the look on Edward's face when he had seen her kiss Jacob. She had immediately been overwhelmed with guilt and tried to explain but he merely shook his head as he gave her a faint smile. "It's okay Bella. I understand, you feel for him. There's no reason for you to be sorry."

Of course that only made her feel more guilty and she had mentally buried all of the thoughts and feelings she'd had from the kiss and locked them away, focusing her thoughts on her love for Edward and their forthcoming wedding. Of course that had scared her almost as much as when Victoria attacked a few minutes later.

Now that she was alone she let her mind turn to the kiss she and Jake had shared. Again she felt the waves of heat roll over her and she briefly raised a hand to her suddenly tingling lips. She felt the tug in her chest, the wanting to be close to Jacob and she closed her eyes to picture him as she had seen in her vision of their wedding. Surprisingly, the thought of marrying Jake didn't scare her, unlike the thought of marrying Edward in a few months. She frowned slightly, running her thumb over the band of the pretentious piece of jewelry. It wasn't her style at all; it was flashy and opulent, definitely something from Edward, not at all what she would have chosen.

_"Jacob would know what you like. He would pick something simple."_ She imagined Jake down on one knee in front of her, maybe on First Beach by their driftwood log, laying his heart out to her as he asked her to marry him. A surprising wave of giddiness swept over her at the thought and she bit her lip as she asked herself a question that she had been burying for months now. _"Am I __**in**__ love with Jacob Black?"_

She held her breath, waiting for the wave of guilt that she had dared betrayed Edward in such a way but she only felt a faint prick, quickly overwhelmed by the flow of honesty in her silent reply. _"Yes."_

She let out her breath and looked down at her hands, still clutched tightly in Seth's fur. On her left hand rested Edward's ring, on her right wrist, Jacob's bracelet, his wooden wolf charm catching her eye more than the diamond heart from Edward. She frowned, wondering why she had allowed Edward to claim her that way, on something that Jacob gave her no less, and decided the first chance she got she would remove it.

Her eyes strayed to the ring again and she was surprised that she suddenly wanted it off, never to see it again. She let out a breath as she realized that she couldn't marry Edward, she didn't want to, she never wanted marriage, especially forced on her like this. But instead of respecting her wishes, he had blackmailed her into what he wanted from her, something Jacob would never do. He always let her make her own choices, even when he disagreed with her; he respected her as an equal. She waited for the agonizing pain in her chest at the thought of losing Edward, but all she felt was a small pang of sadness.

Edward was her first love, she'd never deny that she hadn't loved him, but at some point that love had turned into obsession, which only got worse when he left her in the woods. But Jacob had brought her out of her addiction, taught her how to start standing on her own again without depending solely on someone else for her happiness. Yes, she'd needed Jake around, but not the same way she thought she needed Edward. He had told her from the beginning that her blood was like his own personal brand of heroin. What she hadn't realized was that he had become hers, when he'd abandoned her she'd been a junkie forced to quit cold turkey. She'd almost been over it when he'd come back, but she was constantly afraid of him leaving her again, afraid of losing her fix.

Jacob was...different. It wasn't an addiction with him, she just felt at home with him, that she could relax and they could just be Jake and Bells. And now that she realized she was in love with him she knew she'd have to tell Edward that she didn't want to marry him and become a vampire, she wanted to stay human with Jacob, to have a life with her family and friends, to have her and Jake's children and watch them grow up. She was worried about how he would take it, how the rest of the Cullens would react, especially Alice. She smiled sadly, hoping that this wouldn't end her friendship with Edward's family. She still loved all of them; she had just finally seen what Jake had been trying to convince her of; how much she had to live for.

She let go of Seth's fur to pull the ring from her finger when he let out a whine and she looked up to see they had arrived in the clearing. Seth trotted up to where the Cullens were standing and Bella looked towards the woods to see Sam and most of the pack carrying a russet body on their shoulders, carefully maneuvering through the trees. Even across the clearing she could hear Jacob's cry of pain as they had to shift their grip on him. Tears sprung to her eyes as Seth folded his legs under and she quickly slid off of him, falling to her knees as she let out a gasping cry "Jacob!"

She tried to push herself to her feet when her view was suddenly blocked by two sets of dark legs and she looked up to see Paul and Leah staring down at her. Paul swept his hard gaze over her and she saw his face grow colder as he glanced at Leah. Ignoring them she started to move past them when Leah's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going Swan?"

Bella tore her gaze from the Packs' disappearing forms and met Leah's bitter and angry gaze. "I have to get to Jake, I need to see him."

Paul came around Leah and sneered at her. "He doesn't want to see you, leech lover. He wanted us to tell you he's done throwing himself at you, he never wants to see you again."

Bella felt her heart stop at those words and she looked towards where Jacob had disappeared as tears blurred her eyes. Leah let go of her arm and she stumbled back, bumping into Seth's furry form. Her fingers latched onto his fur as she tried to keep from bursting into tears as Paul and Leah stared coldly at her. Seth whined softly and turned his head to bump his nose against her arm, his eyes full of sadness. She stroked the fur on his neck to keep herself calm, feeling his warmth reminded her of Jake and helped to ground her slightly. "He...he wouldn't say that..."

Paul cut her off angrily, glaring at her. "He's done with you, go back to your precious leeches and stay the hell away from La Push."

Bella flinched and she felt the rumbling growl from Seth as he glowered at Paul who rolled his eyes. "Don't start with me pup. Sam said everyone back to the Rez, we did our part and the alliance with the bloodsuckers is over. Let's go."

Leah and Paul turned away and started for the tree line, leaving Bella to collapse to her knees, her hand still clutching Seth's fur. He whined, turning his head from his departing Pack members to Bella and she choked her tears back long enough to say "Go Seth. I…I'll be ok."

She forced her hand to slowly let go of the hair along his neck and a sob escaped her as she realized she'd never feel the supernatural warmth again. "Jake…"

The broken whisper was all it took to let the dam burst and she wrapped her arms around herself as deep, body wrenching sobs tore through her throat. It was worse than when Edward had left her in the woods, when Jacob sent her away when he first phased; nothing could compare with the pain that ripped through her at that moment. She was so upset she didn't hear the movement behind her until she suddenly found herself surrounded by heat and soft fur. Blinking past her tears she looked down to see a sandy furred body curled protectively around her, a dark eye staring up at her with pity and sympathy. "Seth? Wha…what are you doing?"

He blinked and she felt him curl tighter into her, cocooning her in his warm while her tears soaked the fur on his back. "Seth…you should go…"

She looked across the field where Paul and Leah had paused, glaring impatiently at Seth. Leah jerked her head at him. "C'mon let's go."

Seth gave a faint whine, glancing briefly between Bella and his sister before chuffing out a sigh and laying his head on Bella's lap. Her eyes widened and she looked back at Leah to see her shooting her brother a look of pain and betrayal, before glaring at Bella. "Fine! Pick the leechlover! See if I care!"

Bella flinched, feeling Seth do the same beneath her, but before she could say anything Leah turned and vanished into the forest. Paul shot her one final dirty look before he followed and Bella was left staring after them in shock, her hands fisted in Seth's fur. Before she could fully absorb what had happened she suddenly felt a cool breath of air at her side and looked up to see Edward crouching next to her. She let out a faint shriek and tried to jump away, tumbling over Seth and landing on her back on the hard ground. More tears sprang to her eyes as she rubbed the back of her head and suddenly she felt an icy cold hand on her face.

"Bella love, are you alright?"

She opened her eyes to see Edward crouched over her, worry written over his face but she didn't answer, instead jerking her face away from his fingers as the strange burning sensation spread across her cheek. She felt heat behind her and heard Seth whine in concern and she automatically reached to clutch onto his fur, the iciness fading as she leaned against him. Edward stared at her in shock but before either of them could say anything Alice appeared next to them. "The Volturi are coming, we only have five minutes before they reach here."

Bella felt her heart leap into her throat and Seth growled deep in his chest as Alice crouched in front of them, blocking her view of Edward. "Carlisle needs to talk to you Edward, let me handle Bella."

Alice ignored him as he started to protest, pointing towards the other Cullens and Bella watched as he slowly stood and walked away, never taking his eyes off of her. Alice's hand on her arm startled her and she looked to see her friend with a sad smile on her face. "Bella, we don't have much time. Your future disappeared before the fight, I already know why and I've kept it from Edward so far but he'll find out soon enough. Obviously we still have the Volturi to deal with so we've come up with a plan. You see the girl with Carlisle and Esme?"

Bella followed Alice's pointing finger and saw a small girl, probably barely sixteen, standing between the Cullens, eyes locked on Bella with a pained look. "That's Bree. She's one of the newborns. Don't worry, she didn't fight, that's why Carlisle spared her. But she has a gift. She can temporarily make a human appear to be dead by shutting down their body for a short period of time and then restore them. She's going to do it to you, so we can convince the Volturi you're dead and they won't come looking for you. Seth, you need to phase back and hide downwind, we can't have them knowing about the pack. Bella, come on, we need Bree to be close to you."

She suddenly found herself on her feet and being pulled away by Alice, looking over her shoulder she saw Seth hesitate before he moved towards the woods to follow the pixie's instructions. When she turned back around she found herself in front of the Cullens, staring into the crimson eyes of the frightened young girl. Emmett had his hand on Bree's shoulder and Bella saw her swallow hard, the newborn's gaze locked onto the pounding pulse in her throat. Alice kept them a safe distance apart and nodded to Bree. "You need to do it now; they'll be here any minute. Remember, stay close to Emmett and just keep Bella under."

Bree nodded, her gaze briefly flicking to meet Alice's before it locked back onto Bella. Alice squeezed her hand gently and gave her a small smile. "Bella, don't worry, you're not really going to die. It'll just feel like you're going to sleep and you'll be aware of what's going on but you won't be able to move or see. Once the Volturi leave Bree will bring you back and you'll wake up, okay?"

Bella couldn't find her voice to say anything so she just nodded slowly; hoping Alice was right about this working. Not that it mattered too much to her. Jacob had pushed her away and never wanted to see her again, what did it matter to her if she died or not? Her thoughts were interrupted as a sudden wave of drowsiness swept over her, making her sway slightly. Out of the corner of her suddenly heavy eyelids she saw Edward move forward to catch her but different stone arms looped around her and she sighed in relief as she felt Alice steady her and carefully lower her to the ground. "It's okay Bella, just relax."

She tried to thank Alice, knowing that the pixie vampire purposely prevented Edward from catching her himself, but found that she couldn't speak, her mouth refused her mental commands to move. She felt panic welling up in her throat as her eyelids slid shut against her will and she could feel the steady beat of her heart slow as a numbness crept up her body, effectively paralyzing her.

_"So this is what dying feels like."_ Was Isabella Swan's last coherent thought before her last breath left her lungs and an overwhelming blackness dragged her down into nothingness.

* * *

_There's not supposed to be pain in death. So Bella couldn't figure out why there was a branding hot point of agony piercing her chest as a voice (was it hers? She couldn't tell if she was hearing it through her own ears or if it was in her head) practically howled in anger. {_This isn't supposed to happen! Not yet! Why on earth would he say that, doesn't he know? Of course, he's a man, they never listen. Stupid ignorant males, no wonder they need us to run everything.}

_Apparently her inner voice had lost her mind, not that Bella cared at the rambling, broken sentences running through her brain. She was too focused on trying to figure out why death hurt so much. {_Oh you're not dead you nitwit.}

_Her inner voice had gotten meaner with death as well. Bella was confused, what did she mean she wasn't dead? {_Just that. We aren't. Remember what that pixie said about the newborn?}

_A memory trickled into her mind, something about the Cullens…a newborn...the Volturi. She shuddered as the name sent a cold shiver down her spine._

{Bingo! Way to get your head back in the game.}_ She was beginning to want to strangle the inner her. _

{Good luck with that.}_ She ignored the voice and instead focused on the faint hum that she discerned were other people talking._

"Edward, she's fine. Don't worry, you need to focus, they're almost here."_ She could feel Alice's arms still around her, lifting her body off the ground, before she was handed off into another set of stone arms. Instantly white hot pain shot through her body and she tried to twist away, desperate to make the agony stop, but she was still paralyzed, leaving her no choice but to be cradled against a hard chest._

"Don't worry love, we'll be alone soon."

_Edward. The voice in her head snarled angrily, wanting nothing more than to turn him into a pile of ash. {_Stay away you bloodsucking leech!}

_She winced as she felt Edward's lips brush her forehead, icy pain shooting through her. She tried to think of something, anything, but the torture of her vampire fiancé's stone arms around her. Fortunately a new voice gave her something else to focus on. The terror that shot through her veins._

"Well, it seems we arrived too late to be of any help to your family Carlisle. Quite surprising, the seven of you against a newborn army, and yet not a scratch. Your coven is very...lucky."

_Jane. She was glad that she was unable to move; otherwise she would have been shaking like a leaf. Her inner voice let out an almost animalistic growl and she was distracted by the sudden picture of Jane's blood red eyes staring at her as her body went up in flames. A wicked grin crossed her face at that and what almost sounded like a purr came from inside her head._

"Yes, we managed to get it under control. I'm sure if you had been here earlier you would have been much help to us."_ Carlisle's calm voice gave no hint that they were preparing to deceive some of the deadliest members of the Volturi, risking death if they were caught._

{Makes you wonder what else they can lie about, hmm?} _She chucked a stone at the voice's snide comment, smiling when she heard the satisfying 'thunk!' as it connected with its target. {_Ow.}

_She tuned back to the conversation between the demon spawn and the Cullens in time to hear Jane's sugary sweet reply of _"Of course Carlisle. Aro would be heartbroken should anything happen to your family."

_Bella rolled her eyes as she ground her teeth together in anger. She was sure that Jane wasn't as ignorant as she claimed; the only thing that would break Aro's stone dead heart was hearing that Edward and Alice had been killed. Even then she suspected her life was the only one he really wanted. She wished she could see the look on his face when Jane would have to bring the news back to her master that she'd let his new trophy die. A slightly sadistic smile crossed her face at the thought of Jane fearing for her own life._

{Serves the bitch right.}_ For once she agreed with her inner self._

"Well unfortunately Jane, not all battles are without casualties."_ Carlisle's voice was heavy with remorse and she felt Edward step forward as he cradled her body. The burning agony returned as his hands clutched her tighter, the voice in her head snapping her teeth together in anger._

_She heard Jane suck in her breath sharply, her voice tight with barely controlled rage. _"What happened?"

_Bella panicked, realizing they hadn't discussed how she had died, before Edward's broken voice interrupted her thoughts. _"I was fighting their leader, a vampire called Victoria. She distracted me long enough for one of her newborns to grab me so she could slice one of Bella's veins open and drain most of her blood. She bled out before I could kill them and her heart had already stopped, even my venom wouldn't have saved her."

_She waited in the resounding silence for some sign that Jane saw through their lie and would order them to their death. After a long minute she felt another stone cold hand on her body, grabbing her arm and pulling it towards them. Edward's body tensed again and she heard Jane's hiss of displeasure as her arm was released and the sound of cracking wood followed by a ground rumbling crash clued her in that a tree had just suffered Jane's wrath. Everything was silent for a long moment and then Jane spoke softly, almost too softly for Bella to hear. _"She has no bite on her arm. How did she manage to be drained without it happening?"

_She could feel the tension thicken in the air before Alice finally spoke from behind Edward. _"She didn't want to risk Bella being turned. She was trying to hurt Edward, to avenge the death of her mate James. She used a rock to cut open Bella's arm and then drained her without biting her."

_She would owe Alice more than her thanks after all this was over. Jane seemed to accept the explanation for now, her voice questioning _"And who is that?"

_Bella felt Edward step back, towards Alice and Jasper as Carlisle answered Jane. _"Bree, one of the newborns. She chose not to fight and surrendered to us in exchange for asylum."

"That is not yours to grant Carlisle."_ Jane's response caused a whimper of fear to come from somewhere near Bella's head and she realized it was Bree._

"This is where my family lives Jane, my coven's home. Aro and the others do hold judgment over other vampires but she surrendered to us without a fight and now is one of us and under our family's protection. Do inform Aro if he is overly concerned I would certainly speak with him about it."

_Carlisle's response seemed to shock Jane into silence for a moment before she coolly replied _"Very well. Bree, you seem tense. The last of the human's blood does smell heavenly doesn't it?"

_There was a faint mumble from Bree and then Bella heard Jane's voice close to her again as a hand ripped away the bandage on her arm. She heard Edward give a low growl before Carlisle shushed him as a cold finger swept over the cut on her skin. _"So sure about staying here and drinking animal blood for the rest of your life Bree? You've already tasted humans; you know how sweet and satisfying the blood is. Animals will always leave you needing more, never fulfilled. Maybe another taste will convince you."

_There were sounds of a small struggle before Bree gave a faint moan of bliss and Jane laughed gaily, making Edward snarl _"That's enough Jane."

_Her laughter stopped abruptly and Bella felt Edward drop to his knees as he grunted and she knew Jane was attacking him. After a long moment Carlisle interrupted with a pleading voice, _"Jane please, our family has many things to attend to and Edward is already distraught."

_Jane waited a long moment before Bella heard her turn away and Edward sucked in a deep breath. _"Very well Carlisle. I will be sure to inform Aro of events here, I'm sure he will be in touch concerning your new member and the human's death. You will take care of it I assume?"

_Carlisle gave his assent and Jane paused as she turned back to the Cullens. _"You all of course know that deceiving the Volturi is a death sentence, one I would take great pleasure in delivering myself."

_Her only answer was the faint chirping of the birds and she gave a simpering laugh as she walked away. There were several minutes of silence before Alice spoke. _"Edward?"

"They're gone."

_Bella let out a sigh in tandem with her inner voice and she heard the Cullens give their own sighs of relief. After a moment she felt a pair of cold arms carefully extracting her from Edward and the burning pain finally started to fade, her voice quieting as well, and she heard Alice speak softly. _"Let me take her Edward."

_He said nothing and Alice carefully cradled her as she called over her shoulder _"Carlisle? We can't let her near Bella; can she wake her up from here?"

_She heard sounds of a struggle and a growling noise as Carlisle gently spoke _"Bree, please we need you to wake up Bella. We'll take you hunting after this; show you how it's possible to survive without human blood."

_Bree was silent for a moment before Bella felt a slight warmth begin to crawl its way up her legs, chasing the cold and numbness away. She could feel herself being pulled through the darkness as the warmth reached her midsection and slowly stretched out towards her heart, and she heard the faintest 'thump thump' as the organ fought to start again. A loud growl sounded to her left and she heard what sounded like a boom of thunder as a screeching cry of feral hunger broke over sound of her struggling heart._

"Emmett, Jasper, get her out of here!"

_Alice quickly backed away and she heard Bree's struggle grow fainter until all was silent, save the slowly steadying 'thump thump' from her chest. She could feel her skin growing warmer and slowly her lungs expanded as they drew in fresh air. She was set down on the grass and her head pillowed on a cold lap as she felt herself being slowly drawn out of the darkness. Suddenly another cold hand touched her arm and piercing pain shot through her as the voice in her head broke its silence with a feral snarl of rage. The fury shot through her body as pure adrenaline and she felt herself jerk up with a gasp as her eyes opened in panic. _"NO!"

**A/N: Yet another cliff, I know so evil. I'll be working hard on the next chapter, hopefully it will be ready before next weekend. As always your reviews are appreciated. :)**


	3. Poison & Wine

_**A/N: So sorry for the long wait everyone! This was a difficult chapter to write, sorry if some of it seems a little rushed, I'm wanting to get to the exciting chapters coming up. Thank you for everyone who reviewed, they really help my brain to spin out the next chapter so the more I get the more my muse is inspired to write.**_

_**Just to clarify, there will be no Seth/Bella romance. A little hard to tell in this chapter but it will make sense later in the story.**_

_**I will warn you, a box or two of tissues will be needed for this chapter. Don't hate me...**_

_**This chapter is based off of Civil Wars Poison & Wine. Here's a link for those of you that like to listen to get in the mood for the chapter. watch?v=WfzRlcnq_c0**_

_**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine, if it was Jacob would have gotten the girl like it was supposed to be, hence this story. ;) Nor do I own the wonderful songs that my muse claims.**_

Poison & Wine

Bella stared as the rain dripped down her window, eyes bloodshot and glazed over from the tears she had run out of hours ago. It had been three days since the newborn battle, three days since she'd died and come back to life, three days since she'd been told Jacob never wanted to see her again. She flinched at the pain in her chest at the thought, her eyes blinking in anticipation of tears but they didn't come. From the corner she heard the squeak of the rocking chair as the figure stood and came to crouch in front of her bed.

"Bella? C'mon you need to get up." Seth's puppy dog eyes peered at her and she blinked slowly but didn't move. He sighed and moved out of her line of sight and she went back to staring out the window. She was suddenly hauled off the bed into a pair of strong arms and cradled against a warm chest and she briefly wondered where he was taking her. She closed her eyes, wishing Seth would go home and leave her alone, feeling herself start to drift off to sleep when she was suddenly jerked awake as ice cold water drenched her from head to toe.

"What the hell?!" She sputtered and blinked, seeing Seth standing in her bathroom with his arms crossed, frowning at her. She reached behind her and turned the shower off, wrapping her arms around her body to combat the chills as she glared at the werewolf across from her. "Are you crazy?"

He smirked at her, reminding her for a moment of Jacob, then nodded his head towards her. "Go ahead and take a hot shower now, I'll make breakfast while you get dressed."

He slid out the door and shut it softly behind him, leaving her to stare after him with her mouth open. She glared at the door and started to struggle out of her wet pants as she muttered, "Sweet and innocent my ass..."

"Love you too Bella!" His normal, cheerful voice sounded from outside and she mentally cursed werewolf hearing as she threw her wet sweats at the door. He laughed and she heard him walk downstairs as she stripped off the rest of her clothes and turned on the shower, careful to avoid the spray until the water was warm enough. As she stood under the scalding hot water her mind drifted back to three days earlier in the clearing.

_Edward had been shocked by her outburst, watching as she scrambled away from him, weeping hysterically. All she had wanted was Jacob, his warmth and comforting presence to sooth her confused mind. When Edward had reached for her she screamed at him again, then found herself swept up into a pair of strong, warm arms. She immediately knew it wasn't Jake but she still sagged into the comforting heat, her hand gripping Seth's shoulder as he cradled her exhausted body._

_"That's enough. Obviously she doesn't want you touching her." She heard Edward give a low growl at his statement and Seth turned his body slightly to shield her._

_"Edward, don't. You'll only upset Bella more. She needs time to recover from all of this." Alice tried to reason with him. Bella peered around the edge of Seth's arm and saw Edward standing a few feet away, a broken look on his face while Alice kept her hand on his shoulder as if to restrain him._

_With a sigh Bella pushed on Seth's chest and murmured "Let me down, please."_

_He gave her a concerned look but did as she asked, keeping a hand on her arm to steady her. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to Edward's, feeling slightly guilty at the look he was giving her. She slowly stepped forward towards him, Seth keeping close behind her, until she stood in front of the two vampires. Lifting her head she met Edward's honey toned gaze and swallowed as she slowly lifted her hand. "Edward, I'm sorry but…I can't marry you."_

_He stared at her as she opened her hand to reveal the ring in her palm as she offered it to him. He made no move to take it and she glanced at Alice to see a sad smile as she stepped forward and carefully took the ring. Bella hesitated a moment before turning away to follow Seth when a cold hand grasped her arm. She flinched away from the pain that shot through her and Seth growled as he batted the hand away and whisked her behind him. She sucked in a breath as she craned her neck around his shaking arm and saw Alice gripping Edward's arm firmly with a frown. "Edward, that's enough."_

_Her eyes widened as she saw the desperate, slightly crazed look on her ex-fiancé's face as he stared at her. She unconsciously leaned into Seth's warmth and noticed how much he was shaking and started rubbing a hand over his arm to calm him. Edward's eyes narrowed and he let out a snarl. "Isabella get over here and away from that mutt before he phases and kills you."_

_She stared at him in shock, never had she heard him speak to anyone that way, least of all her, and she felt a sudden rush of fury. Stepping around Seth she held up a hand at his protest as she marched over to Alice and Edward and glared at him. "How dare you Edward Masen Cullen!"_

_Silence descended over the clearing as Edward, Alice and Seth stared at her in shock. She ignored them, half wondering where she had gotten this sudden burst of confidence, but shoved it aside as she placed her hands on her hips and met Edward's eyes determinedly. "Seth may be a young werewolf but he would never hurt me. He's protected me several times today, even from you, and I trust him with my life. I am a grown woman, not a child, and you are not my father. I am capable of making decisions for myself, whether they agree with what you think or not, and if I feel in danger I can move away. And in case you missed it I just broke off our engagement. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do now, you had no business telling me it before or keeping me from my friends."_

_She paused for a breath before turning to Alice. "Would you please ask Carlisle and everyone else to respect my space for now?"_

_Alice nodded her head, knowing that she really meant 'Will you please keep Edward away?' and she turned back to Edward with a frown. "I know I'm wasting my breath but I am asking you to give me space Edward. Maybe we can keep our friendship but not now. Please don't come to my room at night."_

_She took a step back and felt Seth's hand on her arm, sinking back against him as he let out a low growl. "I'll be there making sure she's left in peace."_

_Edward let out a snarl and Alice wrapped her arm around him as she glanced behind her. Bella saw Jasper approaching and Edward seemed to sag slightly as a wave of calm washed over her. She nodded slightly at Jasper in thanks before turning away as exhaustion swept over her body and she swayed slightly. She was suddenly scooped up in Seth's arms as he walked away, and she rested her head against his chest as she blinked back tears. Seth glanced down and tightened his arms around her as sobs rocked her body, and she murmured Jake's name over and over…_

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Seth's voice called out softly. "Bella? You okay in there?"

She realized she was trembling as tears mingled with the water on her cheeks and she swallowed before shakily answering, "Yeah I'm…I'm fine."

Seth was silent for a moment and she knew he could tell she was anything but fine, but he merely said, "Okay, just checking and wanted to tell you that breakfast is nearly ready."

She glanced down, surprised that she had already washed her hair and body while lost in her thoughts and reached behind her to shut off the water. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute."

Seth padded away from the door as she reached out and pulled her towel off the rack, drying her body before she stepped out of the shower and began to slowly wring the water from her hair before she ran her brush through it. She threw it into a braid to keep it out of her face and decided that after three days she was sure to have a case of morning breath.

Squeezing some toothpaste onto her toothbrush she set to work and looked around, smiling slightly when she saw Seth was thoughtful enough to leave her a change of sweats and a t-shirt folded neatly on the counter. She swiftly tugged them on, rinsing her mouth before hanging her soaked sweats over the bathtub to dry.

She tugged open the door and carefully made her way downstairs, following the smell of pancakes, bacon and eggs. Coming to a stop in the entryway she swept her eyes over the scene of Seth standing at the stove as he piled a skillet full of scrambled eggs onto a platter. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, unused to seeing someone else cooking in her kitchen and found herself at a loss. Seth turned to set the eggs on the table and flashed a small smile at her. "Feel better?"

She bit her lip as she shrugged one shoulder and slowly made her way over to the table. Seth frowned slightly but turned back to the stove without saying anything, flipping pancakes from the griddle to a plate smoothly. Bella watched him for a moment before turning her head to watch the rain outside the back door. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her middle as she pulled her feet up onto the chair. She had been constantly cold the last few days, minus her hot shower; she seemed unable to warm herself.

Another shiver ran through her body and she couldn't help the faint teeth chatter that accompanied it, drawing Seth's attention. He set the pancakes and bacon on the table and then walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps trailing up the stairs. She stared at the table blindly, nearly jumping out of her skin when a pair of warm hands came to rest on her shoulders. "Easy Bella."

She sagged back as Seth quickly tucked a blanket around her, kneeling in front of her as he tugged a pair of thick fuzzy socks on her feet. He flashed her a smile which she tried to return but her face remained stiff, the muscles refusing to cooperate. Seth sighed and stood, turning to pile food onto their plates, leaving her to pull the blanket tighter as she leaned her head back against the chair.

"Bella, come on you need to eat something." Seth's voice jerked her awake from starting to drift off and she opened her eyes to see him seated next to her with a frown on his face. She looked at her plate which he had put a modest amount of food on and let go of the blanket long enough to grab a small piece of bacon. Seth seemed to accept her nibbling on the end of the meat and turned his attention to his own food that was piled high on several plates.

Bella watched him for a long moment, then switched her gaze to her plate as she asked softly, "Seth, why are you here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth full of what she was sure was a whole pancake, and she set her bacon on her plate as she turned to look at him. "Why did you stay in the meadow? You know Leah is angry at you for it, she's your sister and I'm nothing but trouble to you. And you haven't left in three days, I'm sure Sam is mad, your mom is worried, my dad probably is suspicious... Why are you staying here when it's such a problem?"

He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, finishing his chewing and taking a long swallow of milk before he came and knelt in front of her chair and took her hands in his. "Honestly Bella, I'm not sure why. There's some kind of pull I feel towards you."

Her breathing kicked up a notch and he hastily said "Not imprinting Bella, I swear I don't feel that way toward you at all. I just...I feel like I'm supposed to protect you, that it's my job. And you need someone right now. When Edward left you had Jake and now..."

He trailed off as he noticed her flinch at the use of Jacob's name and he gave her a sympathetic look. "Bella, everyone saw what you were like when Edward left you, before Jacob started helping you heal. Now you need someone to keep you from being zombiefied all over again. I don't know why Jake would say that, we've all been in his head enough to know how he feels about you, but you can't just fall apart again. Maybe you need to just get away from all this supernatural junk for a while, clear your head. But you can't just disappear into yourself and live life without living again."

She stared at him with her mouth open for a moment, then snapped it shut as she turned back to the table. She picked up the bacon again and frowned at it before putting a large bite in her mouth. She could see Seth watching her from the corner of her eye and she realized how hungry she was as she picked up her fork and took a bite of eggs. Seth grinned as he returned to his own breakfast and this time she was able to get the corners of her mouth to twitch upwards at him. As she devoured her breakfast she let his words tumble through her head. _"You need to just get away for a while."_

If she thought about it, she hadn't had time alone since she moved to Forks. Almost immediately she had been swept up into the Cullens, even when Edward left her she had been consumed by them and too lost in her own misery, and then she'd clung to Jake like a lifeline. Even the times she'd left Forks she'd always been surrounded. First Phoenix when she'd run from James with Jasper and Alice, then Italy to rescue Edward with Alice and down to Florida to visit Renee with Edward. She frowned as she chewed thoughtfully on her pancake, wondering when she'd lost herself and her sense of independence.

_"That's easy."_ She mentally rolled her eyes. Her inner voice had decided to resurface. _"Yup. And we both know the answer to your question."_

_Edward._ Her inner voice seemed smug that she had figured it out first and she resisted the urge to bang her head on the kitchen table in an effort to silence her. _"Pfft. Like that'd work. Just give you a headache."_

"Shut up." Seth arched an eyebrow as she muttered under her breath and she shook her head as she mumbled, "Not you Seth."

His eyebrow went higher and she could see the look of concern in his eyes and she groaned as she stood and started clearing the table. Seth put his last bite of pancake in his mouth and jumped up to help her, taking position to rinse while she started the water to wash. He remained quiet, obviously sensing her need to stay lost in her thoughts and the only sound between them was the squeak of the dishes and running water. When they had finished she turned to Seth with a faint frown on her face as she dried her hands. "I have to go somewhere, will you come with me?"

He nodded and she excused herself to her bedroom, digging in her closet until she found a clean pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Swapping them for her sweats she let her hair out of its braid, combing her fingers through the waves as she stared at herself in the mirror. "You need to do this. You can do this."

With a determined look on her face she headed downstairs where Seth was waiting, slipping her feet into her Converse and grabbed her truck keys as Seth followed her outside. She hauled herself into the driver's seat and waited for Seth to climb in the other side before cranking the key in the ignition. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she pulled the truck onto the road, taking a deep breath as she steered them towards a road she knew by heart. Seth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to flash a weak smile of gratitude at him as she steeled herself for what was coming.

The drive seemed to take less time than she remembered, her nerves heightening as she pulled up the familiar driveway. Seth squeezed her arm as she slowly brought the truck to a stop in front of the house, putting it in park as she stared at the structure that had become like another home to her. She sucked in another breath and shakily pushed open the door, carefully stepping out before slamming it shut behind her. Seth came around and gave her an encouraging look as she walked forward and up the steps, bracing herself as she raised a hand and knocked.

Almost immediately the door opened and she gave a weak smile to the person who stood in front of her. "Alice. I need to talk to you."

* * *

Jacob stared up at his ceiling, silently counting the number of water drops off the eave by his window. Currently he was around 450 which meant soon someone would be in to check on him. He tried to shift into a sitting position and a hiss escaped him as pain exploded along his ribcage. He fell back on the bed as the door opened, revealing a frowning Embry. "Jacob..."

He glared at his friend and grit his teeth as he rolled his eyes. "I wasn't trying to leave Embry."

Turning his head he continued glaring at the wall as he heard Embry shut the door and came to sit by the bed. "Can hardly blame me for thinking it Jake, you've nearly killed yourself the last five days."

Jacob snorted and closed his eyes at the minor pain it caused and muttered, "If my so called friends actually cared and would help me then I wouldn't have to try and escape from my own damn bedroom!"

By the end of his sentence he was shouting, having turned his head to nail his friend with a scowl, happy to see Embry wince and shift uncomfortably in his seat. "We're only trying to protect you man, obviously she chose the leech. It's been five days and she hasn't come to see you or even bothered to call."

Jacob's face blanked and he returned his gaze to his ceiling, ignoring Embry's sigh as he stood and moved to the door. As he pulled it open he turned back and said softly, "I really am sorry Jake. I know you loved her."

The door closed softly behind him and Jacob closed his eyes as another wave of pain, this one more excruciating than trying to move his broken body, swept over him. He clenched his jaw from a mix of misery and anger, wanting nothing more than to phase and run as fast as he could to Forks.

_"Bella..."_ Even his wolf mourned her, magnifying the confusion and fury that the man felt. Both of them wanted Bella here, with them, protected and wrapped in their arms in their bed. He let a small smirk cross his face as he imagined Bella's reaction if she was here, being that his modesty was preserved only by a thin white sheet. Based on her reaction in the tent before the newborn battle he knew she would be as red as a tomato. His wolf purred as he remembered the feeling of her hip in his hand as he had unconsciously rubbed against her, the smell of her arousal filling the tent and the faintest whisper of a moan that she had tried to hold back.

He let out a groan and rubbed his face with his good hand, trying to ignore the stirring in his groin that was causing a very painful problem. Unfortunately his wolf had locked onto more thoughts of Bella and he now had a very obvious bulge showing through the sheet. Another groan left his lips as he remembered the kiss on the mountain top, Bella's body arching into his, her lips willingly submitting to his probing tongue, her hands gripping his hair tightly...

"Get a hold of yourself Black, this isn't helping." He tried to think of anything that might rid himself of his raging erection but it was not to be ignored, especially with his wolf clawing at the surface. Slowly, his good hand slid beneath the sheets and started towards his waist as his wolf chanted _"Bella Bella Bella Paul Bella Bel- Paul?"_

He snapped his eyes open to see his Pack brother leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face. "Don't stop on my account Black, by all means continue your little fantasy."

Jacob stared at him for a moment and before Paul could blink he snatched the lamp off his bedside table and whipped it at his head. "Get out Lahote!"

Paul easily ducked and Jacob winced inwardly as he heard the crash of the lamp hitting the wall in the hallway. Paul laughed as Jacob cursed under his breath, smirking as he stepped further into the room. "Well at least you don't seem to have a problem now."

Jacob glared at him and struggled into a sitting position, groaning as he muttered, "What do you want Lahote?"

Paul smirked as he plopped down into the chair, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "My turn to babysit the baby Alpha."

Jacob clenched his teeth in annoyance and pain and collapsed against the pillows with a muttered curse, hating his weakened body. "I don't need to be babysat."

Paul shrugged and jerked his head towards the door. "Sam's orders. Believe me Black, I'm not here by choice, I'm giving up a hot date to watch your pitiful ass."

Jacob debated if the pain would be worth leaping from his bed to throttle Paul but decided against it as he reined in his wolf's anger at Paul's disrespect to the true Alpha. Instead he grunted and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Paul as his thoughts returned to Bella. He refused to show it to any of his Pack mates but he was very hurt and angry that she hadn't come to see him as she'd promised, or even called. He wondered if the leech was keeping her away or if what Paul and Leah had told him was true. He winced at that particular memory from five days ago...

_He lay on his bed, covered in sweat and gripping the sheet tightly with one fist as he panted through clenched teeth. The head Cullen, Carlisle had just left after rebreaking all of his bones so they would heal correctly, a process that took what seemed like hours of pure agony. His throat still felt raw from screaming in pain, but he didn't have the energy to try and reach for the water on the nightstand. He was fighting the exhaustion from the pain and the waning morphine, waiting to hear a soft voice..._

_"Jacob."_

_That wasn't it. He cracked open an eye and barely made out two shapes next to his bed. He unclenched his jaw enough to groan "Leah...where...where's Bella?"_

_She looked over her shoulder at Paul from her crouched position next to his bed and then turned back with an unreadable look on her face. "She's not coming Jake. She said she doesn't want to see you again, she's marrying the leech."_

_His heart seemed to stop as he sucked in a breath, ignoring the stabbing pain of protest from his broken ribs as he glared at her and then Paul. "She wouldn't say that..."_

_Leah shook her head in disgust as she stood, staring down at him with her hands on her hips. "Get over it Black! She strung you along, used you and dumped your ass the moment she could."_

_His temper rose as his wolf snarled in his mind and he roared, "You're lying!"_

_She stepped back, surprised at his outburst and he grit his teeth as he suddenly pushed himself into a sitting position, gasping as blazing agony ripped through his body and blinking back the darkness that clouded the edges of his vision. He could hear Paul and Leah's exclamations as they tried to force him back but he let out a wordless cry of rage and threw them off with his good arm as he struggled to his feet. His vision tunneled to a narrow point of light surrounded by inviting blackness that promised painless oblivion._

_"Bella..." He heard Paul and Leah shouting after him as he limped from his room and into the hallway, losing his balance he stumbled into the wall and sent several picture frames crashing to the floor with the sound of shattering glass. He staggered forward, ignoring the sharp stings of pain as his feet crunched across the broken glass, leaving a trail of blood as he burst through the backdoor._

_He was instantly soaked by the pouring rain, plastering his hair to his forehead and running down his naked body in rivulets. He managed to get down the three steps without falling but lost his balance when a flash of lightning surprised him and the right side of his body crashed into the railing. He couldn't help the cry of pain as agonizing fire burned through his body, his vision narrowing more and more until the pain blinded him._

_He dropped to his knees as he gasped for air through the fiery pain, hearing more voices calling his name frantically through the rumbling thunder above. Hands suddenly appeared on his naked body and he tried to shrug them off and get to his feet but instead he started to fall forward, an arm shooting out to gently break his fall as he cried out again. "Bella!"_

* * *

Jacob blinked slowly as he woke up, glancing around his bedroom. He was surprised to see it was now light out and Paul was gone, he must have slept through the night. Glancing down he realized that he wasn't in as much pain as the previous night and slowly sat up, wincing at the leftover tenderness in his ribs and arm. A look at the clock showed it was just after six a.m. and he listened carefully for any signs of life through the house. Very faintly he could hear the familiar sounds of Quil's snores and he grinned. Wolf senses or not, Quil could sleep through a train wreck and just roll over, something he and Embry had taken advantage of through years of sleepovers.

Slowly he eased his sore body out of bed, grimacing as he stooped to snag a pair of cutoffs from the floor. He tugged them on before inching open his bedroom window and paused to make sure Quil's snores were still steady, then climbed up on the sill. He braced himself for the short fall but his breath was still knocked out of him as he staggered against the wall of the house. Holding himself up with one hand he took a deep breath before looking around to make sure the coast was clear, then made his way into the woods.

He stayed human, the pace was much slower but he would be less likely to be detected by his brothers before they could stop him. Despite what Paul and Leah had said, he couldn't believe that Bella had chosen the leech, not after their kiss on the mountain, not after he'd seen her through Seth's eyes when she'd told him that she was coming. He was convinced that the bloodsucker had prevented her from coming to see or call him, something that he had done before. He picked up his pace slightly as he neared the treaty line, knowing that if one more person tried to keep him from Bella he would tear them apart, even if it was one of his own brothers. His wolf snarled in agreement, they'd been kept away from her too long.

He found it odd that his wolf wanted Bella so much, it wasn't an imprint, he'd seen that through Sam, Jared and Quil's mind. It seemed deeper, as if his wolf had chosen her without the imprint, something stronger. He shook his head slightly as he looked around, surprised that he was nearing the woods by Charlie's house already. He must have sped up his pace while lost in his thoughts. Slowly he approached the edge of the woods, his senses on high alert in case the leech was around. Strangely he could smell Seth's scent quite strongly in the woods and yard, especially the backdoor and under Bella's window.

A low growl rose in his chest as he wondered why his Pack brother had been hanging around here so much and he realized that he hadn't seen Seth since before the newborn battle. He wondered if Seth had been with Bella the whole time and why. By now he was under Bella's window, not having to worry about Charlie since his cruiser wasn't parked in the driveway. He debated tossing a rock at the window but instead gingerly hoisted his body up the tree and climbed to the top, pausing as he sucked in a painful breath through his burning ribs. Peering into the closed window he frowned when he saw the room was dark.

He had seen her truck in the drive, maybe she was downstairs. Carefully he raised the sill wide enough so he could slip in, turning to shut it behind him. When he faced the room again he was struck with the fact that there seemed to be less stuff then he remembered. He frowned as he took a breath and he realized her scent, strawberries and vanilla mixed with pure Bella, was stale, as if she hadn't been in her room for several days.

His heart started to beat harder in his chest and he tried to force back the ripples of worry. Seth's scent was also present but had the same staleness to it; he hadn't been in here since Bella had. He ignored his wolf's fury that someone else had been there with their Bella, turning to leave her room and go downstairs. He glanced in the bathroom as he passed it and saw the shower was missing her shampoo and body wash. He clenched his fist and hurried down the stairs, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin as he saw all the lights were off. "Bella?"

His voice echoed through the empty house mockingly and he could feel panic welling in his chest as he scanned the kitchen and living room, his breath coming in short gasps. Ignoring the pain he wrenched open the front door and ran outside into the yard, jerking open the door of Bella's truck so hard that the hinges gave a loud squeak of protest. Her scent washed over him and he gulped it in gratefully, before realizing that it too held the stale smell of disuse.

Tremors ran over his body and he slammed the door as he stepped back, panic overwhelming him as his wolf clawed its way to the surface and he phased. It was nearly as painful as the first time, his bones not quite healed and he let out a faint whimper before turning towards the forest and taking off at a dead run. His wolf was snarling one thing over and over in his mind, wanting to fight and kill. _"Cullen."_

He would rip him to shreds for taking Bella, the leech may have already turned her or she could be dead and he would be too late. It didn't matter, if she was he would kill Edward and then allow the rest of the Cullens to kill him rather than live without her. A small part of his mind that was not focused on killing the leech was surprised that no one else was phased but he supposed Sam was letting them rest after the harsh patrols they'd been running for weeks. It made it all the better for him, there was no one to stop him on his suicide mission to the Cullen mansion.

He used the pain burning on his rib cage to push himself harder, a red haze descending over his vision. It took him barely five minutes to reach the trees surrounding the house and he paused as he fought to phase back to human, slowly reining in his wolf. It wanted nothing more than to charge through the living room windows and tear through marble flesh with its razor sharp teeth. He was so busy fighting his wolf that he wasn't paying attention to the house.

Suddenly he froze, his wolf dropping the fight as well as the silence rang in his ears, not even a bird chirped nearby in the forest. His own ragged breathing sounded harsh in his ears, he hadn't even noticed that he'd phased back, and he yanked on his cutoffs as his wolf whimpered. There wasn't the sound of a heartbeat nearby, only his own stuttering one, even as he strained his ears for the faintest sound of the one he knew better than his own. Only silence greeted him and he limped across the yard to the back door, hesitating before he put his hand on the knob and slowly opened it.

The stench of leech hit him square in the face, making him want to gag, and he sucked in a lungful of air before ducking through the doorway. More silence greeted him, pressing on him from all sides like a thick blanket and he swallowed hard as he walked through the empty kitchen towards the living room. His wolf was torn between bristling anger and frantic worry that Bella did not seem to be in the house. As he walked through the living room he came to a stop and the suffocating silence was broken by the sound of air being sucked into his lungs as he stared numbly.

All of the furniture was covered in drop cloths, a very thin layer of dust evidence that it had been that way for several days. He turned and walked up the stairs blindly, staring into the bedrooms in a daze, the unmade beds and more drop cloths proving what he already knew. "Take it easy Jake…it doesn't mean anything…maybe they decided they'd lived here long enough…"

The stench suddenly seemed like too much and he lurched down the stairs and to the front door, yanking it open so he could stumble out on the porch and greedily sucked in a lungful of air to clear his head. As he did he froze, recognizing the scent that hung faintly by the doorway and he turned to it as his body suddenly sagged in despair as he placed a hand against the wall to hold himself up. "Bella…"

Her scent was faint, diluted by the rain but it couldn't have been more than two days old. Another breath told him that Seth had been here with her and his wolf howled in rage. Red suddenly dropped over his vision and he gripped the railing until it splintered beneath his fingers, bits of wood stabbing into his palm. He let out a wordless cry of rage that became a howl as his wolf took over and he phased, turning to the open doorway with a rumbling snarl. _"Cullen…"_

* * *

Billy sat anxiously in his wheelchair, watching Sam converse with Paul and Jared and occasionally shooting an angry glare at a guilty looking Quil. He glanced at the clock and saw it was nearing eleven at night; Jacob had been gone for at least twelve hours. He hadn't been in his room when Billy went to check on him and no one knew when he'd left or where he'd gone. Billy was sure he knew though, the one thing that had been on his son's mind since he'd been injured. Bella Swan.

Billy could never hate his best friend's daughter and the girl his son loved but he was angry and disappointed in her. She loved his son, he could see it whenever she looked at him, but the Cullen boy seemed to have her under a spell since she kept denying it at every chance she got. He had hoped that the battle with the newborns would have changed her mind about the vampire world but Paul and Leah had told everyone she had decided to marry Edward and be turned. He knew that Jacob would fight for her to the death and he prayed that his son hadn't done anything foolish, that somehow he had convinced Bella to stay with him and that was why he hadn't come home.

"Billy? We're going to go to Forks, see if he's there with Bella." Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up at the younger man and nodded, opening his mouth to reply when the front door suddenly flew open. Everyone's head snapped around to see Jacob standing naked in the doorway, soaking wet from the heavy rain and slumped against the doorframe. Billy pushed his wheelchair forward as relief spread through him but stopped when Jacob raised his eyes and stared at him. Billy recognized that look, it was the same one he had worn when Sarah died, one of hopelessness and despair.

Jacob slowly limped forward, ignoring Embry and Quil's attempts to help him and stopped in front of Billy's wheelchair as he raised his head to look at his father. Billy put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "Son."

"She's gone dad. They're all gone." The whisper from his lips broke Billy's heart as Jacob collapsed to his knees and dropped his head into Billy's lap, ragged breaths shaking his body. Billy blinked back tears of sorrow and gripped Jacob's hand as he stroked his hair, feeling helpless to do anything but comfort his son.

That night, for the first time since his mother had died, Jacob Black wept.

_**A/N: Heh heh...don't hurt me. I promise things will get better...eventually...please review? :D**_


	4. Little Bit Stronger Part 1

**A/N: Sorry for such the long wait everybody! Got moved to a new job this last month and been trying to learn everything for it from scratch. So you guys don't have to wait any longer and so it'll make a little more sense I'm splitting this chapter and the next into 2 parts each and will post the first halves one after the other. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter half done by this weekend.**

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews and new readers, they really do help inspire to write more.**

**Here is a link to the title song, I have to say I prefer this version to Sara Evans'. I of course do not own the song. watch?v=UevdJjjs_00**

**I do not own Twilight, just my OCs, which are making rapid appearances in this story. Enjoy!**

Little Bit Stronger

Part 1

The sun coming through the windows woke Bella from her sleep and she groaned as she rolled over and cracked open an eye to see the clock read six am. Sighing she slowly sat up and carefully climbed out of bed as she headed to the bathroom. She glanced in the mirror and made a face at her wild hair and turned on the shower as she grabbed a brush. While she waited for the water to heat she slowly began untangling the long locks, watching her face in the mirror. She had been in Phoenix for a week and the pain still hadn't even begun to fade.

When she'd gone to Alice for help she'd been ready for her, having of course seen her in a vision. Between the two of them they had gotten a flight booked and her things packed by the end of the day, even convincing Charlie that her leaving was a good thing. He'd been hesitant at first, she knew he would miss her as much as she'd miss him, but he'd agreed to her plan as long as she promised to call him frequently. The thought of returning to Phoenix after James had sent shivers down her spine but she knew it was the one place no one would think to look for her. Fortunately Renee had agreed to allow Bella the use of their old house for as long as she wanted, provided that she also call her mother regularly.

She wondered how she'd thought of leaving her parents, never seeing them again, the heartache and pain they'd have gone through. She shook her head, amazed at her selfishness and stupidity that wanting to be changed had led her to. Seth had been right, she needed to get away from the supernatural for a while, clear her head and figure out what she wanted to do with her life now that she no longer had eternity. So far in her first week she'd put out a few job applications to several bookstores and coffee shops but hadn't heard anything back yet. The house was clean top to bottom and she'd filled the kitchen cupboards to bursting with groceries, out of habit buying enough to feed a small army of wolves.

She winced slightly, pushing those thoughts away and set down the brush as she stripped out of her pajamas and stepped into the hot water. As she went through her usual routine she tried not to think about what she'd come here to escape but it was impossible. Jacob occupied her every waking thought, even her dreams most nights, no matter what she did it seemed to remind her of him. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and she angrily wiped them away which only ended up with her getting water in her eyes. Groaning she reached out and snagged her towel, wiping the water from her face as she sighed tiredly and ducked back in the shower.

She slowly slid down the wall to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees as she sucked in a hitching breath, the pain in her chest throbbing in time with her heart. She missed Jake like crazy, especially since she had realized she was in love with him and wanted to be with him. But it was too late it seemed, she had pushed him away one too many times and now she had missed her chance on real love.

Her breathing started speeding up as she choked back a sob and she ran her hand along the wall until she found the handle for the shower and shut it off. Gulping air into her lungs she forced herself out of the shower and grabbed a towel to clumsily wrap around her body, stumbling into the hallway and down to her bedroom where she snatched her cell phone from the bed and through eyes blurry with tears hit the speed dial and call buttons. She pressed it to her ear and listened to it ringing, her breathing close to hyperventilating, and after three rings a familiar warm voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

She gulped some air in her lungs and shakily answered. "Seth?"

His voice immediately softened and she let a sob escape her. "Bella? Sweetheart are you okay? What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard a few times and hurried to assure him. "Nothing's wrong…I just…"

"It's okay Bella, calm down. Take some deep breaths, in and out, relax." She did what he said, slowly sucking air into her lungs and breathing out evenly until the shaking stopped and she could talk evenly. "There, feel better?"

She shuddered slightly and licked her lips before lying back on her bed and sighing. "Yes. Thanks Seth. I'm sorry to call so early, I just needed to talk to someone."

"It's okay, I was up anyway. You doing okay down there?" She could hear him rummaging around on his side of the phone and his muttered curse that followed a loud bump.

"Watch your language Seth Clearwater. I guess, still haven't heard back from any of those jobs I tried for, bought way too much food since I'm used to feeding you guys all the time, the Queen of England would be able to eat off the floor here…"

He laughed and she managed a small grin as she rolled to her side and looked out the window. "How's everything going there?"

There was a moment of silence before Seth hesitantly said, "Jake knows you're gone." She sucked in a breath as pain shot through her chest and she heard Seth's voice faintly call to her through the phone. "Bella, breathe."

She exhaled with a whoosh of air, absentmindedly wondering why everyone had to constantly remind her to breathe. "I'm okay. How…how is he?"

There was silence before Seth spoke. "I don't know. I've been avoiding him since you left. Told Sam I'd take a patrol alone so I don't accidently give away where you are."

She let out a sigh of relief and smiled softly. "Thanks Seth, I know this is hard for you."

He snorted softly. "Please. I'm enjoying this. And it's what's best for you. Long as you're happy I'll do whatever I can to keep it that way."

She smiled again and sighed as she sat up. "I should probably let you go Seth. Need to get ready for some more job hunting today."

"Okay sweetheart. Take care of yourself and call me if you need me okay?" She could hear the concern in his voice and she shook her head slightly.

"Worry wart. I will, don't worry. Love you Seth, talk to you later."

"Love you too Bella. Bye."

She hung up the phone, trying to ignore the pang of loneliness in her chest and sighed as she walked back to the bathroom. Bracing her arms on the mirror she stared at her reflection, taking note of her paler than normal skin, dull brown eyes, and the still wet hair that hung past her waist. Seth's words echoed through her head. _"Jake knows you're gone."_

He knew she was gone but he hadn't even tried to find her or even call. Obviously Paul and Leah had been telling the truth; he didn't want to see her again. Tears pricked her eyes and she angrily swiped them away with her hand. "I'm not going to cry."

She glared at the mirror, feeling her anger increase as she swiped her eyes again. "Fine. If he doesn't care, neither do I."

_"Yes you do."_

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. She thought she'd left the little voice when she'd left Washington, she hadn't heard anything from her since the day she'd decided to come to Arizona. "Shut up!"

The voice didn't reply, besides a soft snort of disdain, and went back to her brooding silence. Bella threw another glance in the mirror and then marched back to her bedroom, throwing on some shorts and a tank top before shoving her feet in sandals and snatching purse and keys as she locked the front door. Blinking at the sudden light she slipped her sunglasses on before making her way to the driveway and unlocking the door of the sleek black 2013 Chevy Camaro SS convertible. Alice had insisted that she needed a new car; her beloved truck would never make the trip to Arizona, and more or less played the guilt card to get her to accept the gift from the Cullens.

Although she was reluctant to accept and had promised herself that she would only use it because she was afraid of facing a certain pixie's wrath if she ignored it, she found herself enjoying and even loving her new car. It wasn't her truck but she could definitely get used to the purr of the engine. She slid behind the driver's seat and twisted the key in the ignition, smiling as the car roared to life. Glancing in the rearview mirror she backed out of the driveway and pointed her car towards downtown, her face set in grim determination.

* * *

The bells above the door tinkled loudly as she swung it open, glancing around the shop as she let the door close behind her. Across the foyer she saw a pretty blond sitting at the front desk, her platinum pixie cut tipped with teal and purple and she smiled at Bella. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Um, I'm not sure…" She could feel her nerve starting to slip away and the girl gave her a knowing look.

"You need a change. Guy by any chance?" Bella bit her lip and nodded and the girl winked at her.

"You've come to the right place. I'm Jen, how about we go over to my station and we can figure out what you're looking for." She stepped around the counter and beckoned to Bella, her purple eyes twinkling. Bella followed her down a hallway and to a room full of vanities, several occupied with clients chatting with their stylists. Jen led her to the corner stall, spinning the chair towards her with a smile. "Have a seat Bella."

She looked at Jen in surprise and tried to think back to walking in if she'd mentioned her name. Jen patted the chair again and she quickly sat down, glancing around as Jen spun the chair to face the mirror. "It okay if I take your hair down so I can look at it?"

She nodded and watched as Jen carefully removed the band that held her hair, the long locks tumbling down her back. Jen picked up a strand and studied it thoughtfully, rubbing it between her fingers before her eyes met Bella's in the mirror. "What do you want?"

She bit her lip, studying her reflection and shrugged slightly. "Something different. I still like it longer but…I need something…not me anymore."

Jen nodded slowly, her purple eyes reflecting sympathy and she turned to a book on the counter to flip through. "Bad breakup?"

Absentmindedly twisting a strand of hair around her finger she sighed and shook her head. "Not exactly. It's complicated."

Jen nodded, flipping a couple more pages before placing her finger on a picture with a smile. "Ah ha. There we go. Now Bella, I know we just met but I'm asking you to trust me and put the fate of your hair in my hands. That ok?"

She stared up at Jen in surprise, debating on whether she should just get up and walk out but something in the girl's purple stare calmed her and she knew somehow she could trust her, with anything. "I just want it long enough to put in a ponytail or braid or whatever to keep out of my face. I'll leave the rest up to you. You aren't gonna make me a blond though, right?"

Jen laughed and shook her head, swinging a sheet around Bella's shoulders and grinning at her in the mirror. "Trust me, you're in good hands. Now, relax and let me handle the rest. I promise, you'll be a new Bella by the time I'm done working my magic, you won't even recognize yourself."

* * *

Bella stepped out of the bookstore and squinted through her sunglasses at the bright sun, a relaxed smile on her face. It had been three weeks since her determination to forget about Forks, WA and find herself again. Going to the salon had been the first step, and one of the best decisions she had made in a line of many. Jen hadn't been kidding when she said Bella wouldn't recognize herself.

She'd started by cutting her hair to a few inches below her shoulders, adding several layers and then adding in highlights. Bella had been shocked when she'd seen her reflection in the mirror, the russet colored highlights an exact match to Jacob's wolf's fur. She'd been on the verge of having a panic attack when Jen had placed her hand on her shoulder and met her gaze in the mirror with a gentle smile. "It suits you."

Bella stared at her reflection again and slowly nodded, her inner voice agreeing with Jen's statement. _"Now at least we have a piece of him with us..."_

She'd thanked Jen and been prepared to leave when the other girl grabbed her hand and shook her head. "No no no, I'm not done with you yet. That was just hair, now we have makeup and wardrobe."

She had tried to protest but Jen had been as persistent as Alice and dragged her off to another room full of every shade of lipstick, eye shadow, blush, you name it. For Bella, the room was almost as terrifying as facing a hungry vampire but Jen showed infinite patience and slowly got her over her initial fear. Two hours later, she knew how to do everything from a simple, everyday look to a romantic and sexy smoky eye. She'd snorted when Jen said she'd need to use that look quite a bit, but secretly was glad she at least could do it if she needed it.

After that, she'd been coaxed into shopping with Jen for new clothes. In addition to the car, Alice had placed a hefty sum of money in her bank account for any emergencies. She had barely touched it, planning to hopefully give it back when she found a job, but Jen had nearly strangled her when she told her that. "Bella! You have more sitting in your account than I probably make in a year! Use it for heaven's sake! I understand you don't like taking money and things but it's a gift, say thank you and spoil yourself a little!"

Three hours later they'd finally made it back to her house, Jen drooling over the car the whole way. She was slightly surprised at how comfortable she was around the girl but she brushed it off as loneliness. Jen had helped her put all her new clothes away before they decided to order pizza and watch a movie. In the middle of that, she'd received three phone calls about the jobs she had applied for, one being a manager at a little bookstore that also housed a cafe. With Jen's encouragement she'd taken it and now she loved it, much better than working at Newton's any day.

Jen had become her best friend over the last few weeks, and she'd finally opened up about what had happened in Forks, excluding all the supernatural elements of course. Jen had been completely understanding and supportive, although she seemed convinced one day Jacob would change his mind. Her phone buzzing jerked her from her thoughts and she glanced at it as she hit the answer button on her Bluetooth. "Hey Jen."

"Hey Bell, what's up? Feel like catching a movie or something tonight? I'm ready to turn into Edward Scissorhands here, every customer I've had has been witchy today."

Bella laughed, she could picture the frustrated glare on her friend's face and slid into her car as she glanced at the clock. "I'm free till 8:30 tonight."

"Oh...someone's got a hot date."

Bella rolled her eyes as she pulled into traffic, shaking her head at her friend. "It is not a 'date' date, Bryce just asked me to dinner tonight."

"Uh huh…and how did he tell you to dress?" Bella was silent for a moment and Jen cackled triumphantly. "It is so a date! Well forget me needed to veg out, I'll come over and help you get ready. And when am I going to meet this mysterious Bryce anyways?"

"When he becomes someone worth meeting Jen, we aren't dating, its just dinner between two avid book readers."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before she heard Jen sigh. "Bell Bell Bell…you really are naïve aren't you?"

"Jen, are you coming over or not?"

"Fine fine, I'll come help you get ready for your non-date date." After agreeing to meet at Bella's house in an hour she hung up and enjoyed the wind blowing her hair behind her as she thought of Bryce. She had met him two weeks ago when he'd come into the bookstore looking for a rare copy of Grimm's fairy tales.

Her looking to special order it had turned it to a two hour conversation between them on classic literature and she found herself drawn to him somehow. His blue eyes and blond hair with his tanned skin and strange European accent made him very attractive and mysterious in her mind. He told her he worked for a company that dealt in special personal acquisitions for high priority collectors. Since then he'd taken her out to dinner several times, not dates she told herself firmly, just two people who enjoyed literature having dinner at very nice restaurants.

_"Oh please, Jen is right you are naïve."_ She rolled her eyes in annoyance and tried to block out her inner voice. For whatever reason she didn't seem to like Bryce very much and Bella often got a headache from ignoring her while having a conversation with Bryce. As she pulled up the driveway her phone beeped another incoming call and she grinned when she saw the name pop up. "Seth!"

"Well look, you are alive." She winced at his slightly annoyed tone and climbed out of the car as she waited for him to finish. "It's been almost a week Bella; do you know how worried I've been? I was ready to phase and head down there to make sure you hadn't been kidnapped or worse."

"Sorry, it's just been crazy at the bookstore and going to the gym and everything."

There was silence for a long moment as she unlocked the front door and she frowned. "Seth?"

"You're going to the gym?" The disbelief in his voice made her laugh and she plopped down on the couch.

"Yup. Jen made me go to a kickboxing class with her and I'm actually not too bad. And I've started running in the mornings." There was a longer dead silence and she frowned as she glanced at the phone to make sure she hadn't lost the call. "Seth?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely coming down there now; no way you're the same Bella. Must be a clone."

She laughed again and shook her head. "Hey now, it'd be nice to have a little faith in me."

"Bella I've seen you trip over a flat surface in an empty room. You expect me to believe that you're taking kickboxing and running classes and haven't broken your neck yet?"

"Oh please, I'm not that big of a danger to myself. And I'm starting a yoga class next week too." The doorbell rang and she glanced at her watch as she jumped off the couch. "Oh shoot, I gotta go Seth. Jen's here to help me get ready for dinner tonight. Talk to you later, love you!"

She hung up before he could reply and pulled the door open to see Jen, her hair spiked in pink and blue, standing with shopping bag in hand and a mischievous grin on her face. "Let's get you ready for your non-date."

* * *

**A/N: I know, don't hate me. What did you guys think of Jen? And what about Bella's non date date with the mysterious Bryce? Don't worry, you'll meet him in the next half of this chapter.**

**Hopefully by this weekend I'll have the first half of our next chapter, You Don't Know Her Like I Do, where we'll take a peek at how well Jacob's doing. Or not doing. Anyways, I'll try my best to have it up for you guys. Please review and tell me what you think! :)**


	5. You Don't Know Her Like I Do Part 1

**A/N: Yay, I did it! I'll admit this isn't my best work and it's a little shorter than what I planned but I wanted to get this out to you guys and start working on the next part with Bella. I will say to our lovely Guest reviewer since they don't have an account, in a plot everything happens for a reason, something most authors know, and in this case Bella's going to AZ sets off many, many things that never would have happened otherwise. To the rest of you, thank you for your lovely reviews.**

**Here is the song for this chapter, which I of course do not own: watch?v=KxkQnAjGK4I**

**I of course own nothing of Twilight, just my OCs. Hope you guys enjoy!**

You Don't Know Her Like I Do

Part 1

Quil and Embry stood in the slight rain, ignoring the water that ran over their bare torsos in rivulets, plastering their cutoffs to their legs and dripping off the ends of their hair. They'd become used to it, more so than normal. It had rained constantly since the battle with the newborns over a month ago, since Jacob found that Bella had run off with her Cullens without even a goodbye. Jacob had hardly been seen since. If he wasn't sleeping he was in the garage constantly working on something.

They had tried several times to coax him out with the Pack, to a bonfire, a night on the town, anything they could think of, but he always refused. Sam hadn't forced him to run patrols, telling everyone to leave him be and he'd rejoin them when he was ready.

However his friends were growing tired of waiting and were worried if he didn't get out soon they would never get their old friend back. Quil peered through a crack in the boards and Embry huffed at him impatiently. "What's he doing?"

"Same as always, just working on the car." Quil stepped away and shrugged helplessly at his friend.

Embry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shooting a frustrated glare at the garage. "I don't care what Sam says, this has gone on long enough."

Before Quil could stop him, he marched through the doors. After a long moment Quil trailed after him shaking his head. "This is a really bad idea..."

* * *

Jacob didn't stop working on the underside of the engine of the Rabbit. He knew his friends were there, he had heard them outside the garage for the last twenty minutes. He had hoped they would go away and leave him in peace but he heard Embry march through the doors with Quil shuffling behind him. He sighed, debating on just ignoring them but knew Embry would be persistent. He heard them come to a stop next to the car and Embry tapped on the side. "Jake, come out from under there."

Jacob and his wolf bristled slightly, rousing from their depressed stupor enough to become angry at the commanding tone of his friend's voice. He rolled himself out from under the car, revealing his grease stained chest and face, glaring up at his friends. "What do you want?"

He could see their shock at his appearance, he knew he looked like crap but couldn't bring himself to care. Even his wolf didn't seem to care, his appetite was non existent and what fitful sleep he got didn't seem to do anything but darken the circles beneath his eyes. Even his skin seemed pale under the normal russet surface, he often wondered if he was slowly dying from the inside out. His wolf rarely roused itself in his head, buried so far in its own depression and mourning that he hadn't phased in over a month, since he had discovered-

He slammed the lid on those thoughts as he pushed himself off the skateboard and stood, walking past his silent friends as he grabbed a towel to wipe his hands. "What do you want?"

There was no anger in his quiet tone this time, just exhausted defeat and it seemed to shake Embry from his surprise and he heard his friend take a few steps toward him. "We came to see if you wanted to come to the bonfire tonight."

Jacob snorted softly, tossing the towel down as he turned back to his brothers, crossing his arms and leaning against the worktable while he raised a brow. "Have you looked outside lately? There's not a dry piece of wood for miles, how exactly are you planning on having a bonfire without fuel?"

Embry and Quil exchanged a sheepish glance and Jacob shook his head, grabbing a wrench and brushing past them as he lowered himself back to the skateboard. "I've got work to finish here."

As he started rolling back under the car a hand grabbed his leg and yanked him back and he found himself looking at Embry's frustrated glare. "Jake, come on, this has gone on long enough. You're going to kill yourself, have you looked in a mirror lately?"

He kicked Embry's hand off and pulled himself back under the car, feeling his anger rising and muttered, "Who cares?"

There was silence for a long moment except for the sound of the wrench tightening a bolt and then he heard Quil give a warning shout before he was suddenly yanked out from under the car and found himself hauled to his feet as Embry's furious gaze burned into him. "Who cares? We're your fucking brothers Jake, we care! Billy cares! Charlie cares! The whole damn Pack is worried about you and you don't even give a shit whether you live or die. What about your friends? Your dad? You think we'll just go on about our lives if you die?"

Jacob glared and shoved him away, running a hand through his hair as he tried to control the anger rising in him. Quil stepped forward, glancing between them worriedly, but Embry ignored him as he gave Jake's chest a hard shove and kicked the skateboard out of the way. "We've been there for you the whole damn time, trying to help you heal and you won't let us. Sam's given you a break from patrols, we've tried to get you to come out and hang with the Pack, with just us, so you can talk to someone. Your dad doesn't know what to do; he's worried sick about you. Snap the fuck out of it already and move on!"

Before anyone could blink Quil was shoved back and Embry found himself pinned against the hood of the Rabbit with Jacob's hand around his throat. His dark eyes glared murderously down at his friend as he hissed, "I'm never going to move on. I don't want to, so leave me the fuck alone and get out of my garage."

Embry stared at him in shock and then grunted as he kicked Jacob's leg out from under him and rolled away before jumping on him and swinging at his face.

"Guys!" Quil tried to step in but the flailing limbs of his two friends made it impossible and he hovered nearby anxiously as Jacob managed to roll on top of Embry and his fist connected with his face. Blood spurted from Embry's nose and he let out a strangled yell as he kicked his legs up, flinging Jacob over his head so he could roll over, thick blood dripping from his hand as he clutched his already healing face. Jacob leapt to his feet, ready to charge when Quil threw himself between them and glared. "That's enough! C'mon you guys, look at yourselves!"

Embry and Jacob stood glaring at each other, panting heavily and Embry shook his head angrily. "You know what, fine, stay in here and rot away. See if we care, at least you'll be happy right?"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and stalked out of the garage, leaving Quil staring sadly at his friend. Jacob stared at the blood on the ground and raised his blank gaze to Quil's. He shook his head when his brother took a step forward and turned away. "Just go."

Quil sighed at the defeat in his friend's voice and walked towards the exit. Before he walked out the door he paused and called softly over his shoulder, "We miss you Jake. And her."

Jacob sucked in a breath, the only indication he heard him, and Quil shook his head sadly as he disappeared into the wet, dark night. Jacob remained where he was, trying to stop the shaking as his wolf clawed at his skin. He had refused to phase after that night, keeping his mind locked down and occupied so that he wouldn't have to think or feel. Only rarely did his wolf fight past its own melancholy to be let loose, and he knew if he gave in now it wouldn't hesitate to track Embry down and rip him to shreds. It took him several minutes to realize he wasn't shaking anymore from wanting to phase and he stared down at his trembling hands, the realization of what he'd done to his friend sinking in and his fist slammed down on the counter. "Fuck!"

Turning he glared at the toolbox on the floor and kicked it across the room, sending tools flying everywhere with a crashing sound, then grabbed an old wooden crate and flung it against the far wall, the weathered wood splintering to pieces from the force and he let out a wordless cry as he blindly smashed his hand into the wall.

The sound of shattering glass startled him and he looked to see he'd put his hand through a window pane, blood dripping from his knuckles and sharp pain telling him he'd cut himself. He pulled his hand back inside with a wince, snatching a towel and wrapping it around his bloodied hand as he eyed the glass that was embedded deep in the already healing skin. He cursed under his breath, wondering if he had a pair of tweezers in the garage, when a soft creak behind him made him pause and he growled, "I told you to leave Quil."

"I'm not Quil but I can see how you'd think that being we look so much alike."

A soft feminine voice, laced heavily with sarcasm, startled him and he turned in confusion. "Emily? What are you doing here?"

She glanced around the trashed garage with a disapproving look before resting her gaze on him. "I wanted to come check on you. Quil told Sam you and Embry got in a fight and that doesn't sound like the Jacob I know."

He snorted softly, gripping the towel around his hand tightly as he made his way over to the couch and sunk into the cushions tiredly. "I don't think that Jacob will be coming back anytime soon, if ever."

Emily carefully made her way over to him, the unscarred side of her face pulled into a frown as she looked at the blood-soaked towel. "What happened?"

"Put my hand through the window. Glass is in there pretty deep and I don't have tweezers so hopefully this stupid supernatural healing doesn't let me become a cripple."

She clucked her tongue at him reproachfully and shook her head as she reached into the basket he had somehow missed she was carrying and pulled out a first aid kit. "After I saw Embry's face I figured I'd bring this just in case. Good thing. Now give me your hand."

Jacob sighed in protest but when Emily shot him a look he relented and let her unwrap the towel from around his fist. The skin was already starting to knit itself back together at the edges of the cuts and Emily shook her head as she popped open the first aid kit. "It's a good thing you guys don't have to worry about infections, I didn't have time to do anything more than rinse these last time I used them. I'd rather not have to cut your hand open again."

Jacob watched her silently as she pulled out a large pair of tweezers and began pulling the glass shards from his skin, not flinching at the pain as she pulled a particularly large piece from between his fingers. Emily glanced up at him from time to time, as if waiting for a reaction or him to say something, a frown furrowing her brow deeper and deeper the longer she worked. Finally she shook her head and sighed. "Jacob Black, you are one fucking mess."

That pulled him out of his stupor long enough to glance at her in surprise. Emily never swore that he ever knew, and hearing it from her mouth made him feel ashamed. His face burned slightly as he met her eyes, her gaze softening a little when she saw the pain and anguish that he was trying so hard to hide. He blinked rapidly and turned his head away, focusing on the opposite wall as she pulled the last few pieces out and tossed them in the wastebasket. "You know keeping it inside like this is only going to make it worse."

He glanced at her as he barked out a mirthless laugh. She raised her eyes to his again and he could see the pity in her gaze, angering him. He stood abruptly and walked a few feet away; clenching his jaw as he watched the skin on his hand knit itself back together slowly.

Behind him he heard Emily sigh softly as she gathered her kit back together and stood, walking over and placing her hand on his arm. "Jacob, no one can possibly understand what you're going through, and everyone knows it. But you do still have people who love and care about you that don't want to see you like this. Embry was wrong to say what he did, but he was just upset. He's watching his best friend slowly fade away and it scares him. You've always been the strong steady one out of the three of you, seeing you so broken and empty like this...he's afraid he's going to lose you and he's lost so much already. You're all he has left. No one is asking you to act like nothing happened. But at least try to live, for Billy, for your friends...for Bella."

He stiffened and Emily sighed as she turned to leave, giving a last worried glance before she softly shut the door behind her. Jacob stared at the wall blindly, his arms shaking as he dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands, a broken whisper making it past his lips. "Bella…"

Outside, a figure watched through the crack of the door as Jacob broke down, biting their lip worriedly. They thought they'd done the right thing, that they were protecting Jake from being hurt anymore, but it seemed that he was more of a wreck now than he ever had been with Swan around. Shaking their head, they stepped away from the garage and stripped off the shorts and tank top, tying them around their ankle before shifting to a lithe, grey wolf. With once last glance at the garage they trotted away, trying to ignore the nagging guilt from their wolf that they had made a huge mistake.

* * *

**A/N: I know, sad angst here. Poor Jacob :( If Embry seems a little OOC its because he's just upset about Jacob and I figured he would be more likely to be mad than Quil. So, what'd you guys think? Let me know and I'll do my best to have the next Bella chapter up sometime in the beginning of next week. Thanks for reading! :)**


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